Up-and-coming performer Ella Terry Sweeney from Glen has been nominated as Ireland’s best female singer in the amateur Irish musicals scene.
Ella picked up the prestigious Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) nomination for her role in Shrek the Musical by the Letterkenny Music and Drama Group last December.
Playing Princess Fiona was a demanding but fun role for Ella, 19, a former pupil of Loreto Milford. She is the daughter of John Paul Sweeney and Sarah Terry-Sweeney.
“Fiona’s such a versatile character. She’s very different from any other kind of princess role. She’s very goofy. She’s very outspoken, very headstrong,” Ella tells Donegal Daily.
“It was a very funny role to play and it was crazy vocally. There was a lot of soft singing, high singing and a lot of belting harmonies as well, but I think I kept up with it.”
Clearly she did, and she is one of just three performers chosen in her category of Best Female Singer.
Ella says the recognition is for everyone who was part of the success of Shrek. The show was her first production with LMDG.
“My Directors, Maire McGinley and Tina Drein Higgins, were such a help, and they directed me so well. Also, Denise Roper, the musical director for the show, was just unbelievable,” she said.
Ella Terry Sweeney on stage as Fiona in Shrek by Letterkenny Music and Drama Group
The nomination came as a great surprise to Ella, but she is looking forward to celebrating in Killarney at the glamorous AIMS awards night in two weeks’ time on 14th June.
Her directors weren’t one bit surprised, they said. Tina Drein Higgins tells Donegal Daily: “We’re so excited that she was nominated, but we are not surprised because she’s amazing. She’s such a fantastic performer and such a lovely girl.
“We are all behind Ella. It’s a massive thing to be nominated because she’s been picked from hundreds of people from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,” said Tina.
Ella has taken this year to hone her skills before striving for drama school in London.
In the coming months she’ll join the Ignite project by Emmet Stewart which challenges young performers to a fortnight of intensive training before performing a show.
“For young people around here and around the Northwest, it’s a huge opportunity that puts you in a professional mindset,” says Ella.
“This year’s show is Spring Awakening, and it’s happening in August, which will be exciting to take part in.”
Ella will then prepare for drama school auditions in the new year, keeping her focus firmly on her goals.
“Not giving up will be the key thing to remember. I know that if I work hard at it, and don’t give up, I’ll have a better chance,” she said.
Tina adds: “Ella’s future is so bright, I have no doubt she will be in the West End.”
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