A starring role for talented Zoe
A musical theatre student is making a big name for herself after performing in a starstudded showcase at Glamis Castle.
Zoe Heggie (20 was picked to sing to an audience of 3000 people at the annual Glamis Prom, which took place at the imposing Angus castle.
And the Motherwell star featured on a bill alongside West End names including Kerry Ellis and Norman Bowman, The Voice star Saskia Eng and River City’s Tom Urie.
Now she’s back studying at North Lanarkshire College’s Motherwell Campus where she will be amongst the first students to benefit from a new partnership with Queen Margaret University.
Zoe won a competition, entitled Search for a Star, which saw her online video winning a public vote – seeing off more than 2000 other hopefuls in the process.
And within weeks of finding out that she had won, Zoe dug out her school prom dress and wowed thousands of onlookers with a rendition of Phantom of the Opera’s Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.
Zoe said: “It was the last Prom this year, so it was outstanding to have been a part of such an amazing event.
“I didn’t have a rehearsal with the orchestra beforehand, so when I performed for all these people it was actually the first time that I’d performed the song properly. The orchestra was phenomenal. “I was so nervous. “I’ve always loved musical theatre – I’ve been doing it since I was a child and to have the opportunity to come to New College Lanarkshire has been amazing.”
She also performed in a group finale of The Beatles’ Hey Jude at the event, which was themed around the Great British Songbook.
Zoe completed her HNC and HND in Musical Theatre at New College Lanarkshire.
During her studies she has performed in the chorus of a pantomime and took the lead role of Sarah in a production of Our House, both of which were staged at the Town House in Hamilton.
She and 15 fellow BA Musical Theatre coursemates, alongside 16 BA Acting students, recently travelled to Edinburgh to meet staff from Queen Margaret University who will now validate their degree courses.
Zoe added: “Queen Margaret University has welcomed us all so well and the staff were lovely.
“New College Lanarkshire has helped all of us begin our careers in the industry.
“I was delighted to get a place on the degree course.”
Earlier this year, New College Lanarkshire announced the partnership with Queen Margaret University to validate its BA Acting and BA Musical Theatre courses after a partnership with its former validator, Northumbria University, came to an end.
Gregor Duncan, Curriculum and Quality Leader for Performing Arts, said: “Zoe is a talented and dedicated student whose confidence and performance skills have developed immensely during the course of her studies in Musical Theatre.”