Orlaigh off to Oz

Orlaigh Larkham and the team at Nonsenseroom Productions are off to Oz in December to put on a musical based on the books of children’s author Dame Lynley Dodd.

Last year 22-year-old Orlaigh, who hails from Pinebank, graduated from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh in Acting.

During her three years in Scotland Orlaigh joined Nonsenseroom Productions and at last year’s Fringe festival they first put on Hairy Maclary and Friends.

The children’s musical went on a UK tour where it was spotted by someone from the Sydney Opera House who approached Nonsenseroom with a view to bringing it to the Australian market.

Orlaigh, who is part of a cast of eight, is planning on spending Christmas Day on the beach with the production keeping her in Oz from the middle of December through to the end of January.

Orlaigh, a former pupil of St Joseph’s and St Mary’s, said: “I found out about a month ago. I’m absolutely chuffed. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. You always dream of going somewhere as iconic as Sydney Opera House.

“It will be on during the day so we’ll have the evenings to ourselves in Sydney. I can’t wait.”

Of her career as an actress Orlaigh said: “I’ve trained mostly in acting on stage. I’d really love to progress on to film and TV to learn more about that aspect of acting.”

Orlaigh is not the only thespian in her family. Her brother Thomas is a well-known actor in these parts and now runs Centre Stage Performing Arts Academy in Lurgan.

Orlaigh said: “I’m not quite sure where the acting came from in our family. We had a couple of cousins who were in drama school. It was something for me and my brother (Thomas) to do. We both joined St Anthony’s (MADS) and I went on to the Phoenix Players in Portadown.”

Orlaigh also studied drama at Belfast Met before going to university in Edinburgh.

She had been living in Edinburgh for three years, then moved home for a while. After Sydney she’s hoping to move to London and further her career in acting.