Warren Sollars
Warren, 20, is from Broughton, Chester. He works as a barman and plumbing assistant, and has a girlfriend.
Why did you enter Musicality?
'My mum came home with the leaflet and suggested I enter. I've always loved musicals and appeared in amateur shows since I was young, so I thought I'd give it a go.'
Was it your first audition? Can you describe your feelings during the auditions?
'I've done other auditions before, for local shows. For Musicality I had prepared 'Cool' from West Side Story which is quite a low-key, jazzy number. Everyone else had these big tunes and was belting them out. I decided to do a bit of a dance, so that I caught the judges' eyes. I think it paid off, fortunately, and I'm glad I did it.'
Have you ever appeared on stage before? If so, when?
'From the age of about 10, I've done musicals locally and at school. I had a break when I was in a band and we had a few gigs. When I got to 18, I decided to concentrate on musicals again because I love them.'
What has been the best part about being involved in Musicality?
'The summer school was fantastic. We had two weeks to be together and work really hard. We're all good mates now.'
And the worst?
'Probably the first audition. It was pretty nerve-racking. I really wanted to get through.'
Do you always sing at parties?
'Only if I'm asked, I don't offer to do it. I sing songs that I know and love. I often do 'Superstition' by Stevie Wonder.'
What has been the hardest thing to master – singing, dancing or acting?
'For me it was putting the emotion into the song.'
What have you learnt from the experts?
'It took me a long time to dive into the character and the coaches worked with me a lot on that. They taught me to think myself into my character's shoes and get the feeling out that way.'
Tell us your most embarrassing moment so far on stage – either in Musicality or during another performance?
'Slipping over during an amateur show. There was water on the stage and I didn't realise. Fortunately I was playing a silly character, a cat dressed as a gangster, so I got away with it.'
Do you hope to carry on with performing?
'I'd love to carry on. I've realised it's the thing I want to do more than anything. I go to bed thinking about it and wake up wanting to get on with it. That's how it should be.'
