You need to want it and be willing to work for it.
This is the message from Devonicia Swartz from Eerste River, who has just been cast in a leading role in Calling Us Home – The Musical.
After a thrilling audition process and nationwide search in South Africa, as well as New York the leading roles have been confirmed for the premiere season in Cape Town in February 2023, before the grand-scale musical heads out on its international tour.
Playing the lead role of Grace is Cape Town based Devonicia, with the roles of the American leads Rafael and Isabella being performed by Míchel Castillo and Monica Tulia Ramirez respectively, both residing in New York, USA.
African princess
Grace is an African Princess – who is fleeing a devastating war in her homeland, arrives penniless, in the freezing, grimy docklands of an American city.
Alice Gillham, author and composer of “Calling Us Home”, explains why they couldn’t have cast better than these three world-class performers.
“Devonicia has a beautiful, fresh, clear voice with lots of colour and depth. Add to that, she is also an accomplished young actress, and we have a really exciting and lovely new “Grace”.
Authentic
“Calling Us Home” is a global story that reaches across from one great continent to another and we wanted to tell it in the most authentic way possible. We wanted to work with artists who could personally understand this story’s meaning from within their own lives, their own history and context, while also having the generosity of spirit to explore with us how the great human desires for love, hope and home will always unite us all,” says Gillham.
Feeling blessed
Devonicia says she feels incredibly blessed to be able to play Grace.
“It feels both like a gift that I don’t deserve and something that I’ve worked towards for years. Grace isn’t a character that I expected to play.
“I find myself dreaming of playing classic roles like Nala in The Lion King, Eponine in Les Miserable, etc.
“However, Grace is part of the bigger dreamscape that is my professional career. The characters I enjoy are ones that challenge me and those that I can relate to, which Grace definitely is,” says Devonicia.
Combine the two
She has been singing and acting professionally and is glad that she can eventually combine the two.
“I always knew I wanted to be an actress, however singing happened first. When I was 14 years old, I watched The Phantom of the Opera at the Artscape Theatre (with Jonathan Roxmouth as the Phantom), and that was the first time that it clicked: musical theatre was what I wanted to do. I pray that it opens up more musical theatre doors.
“Thankfully, my career is on an upward trajectory already and I cannot wait to show off this facet of my capabilities as an actress.”
Working with Peter Flynn
“I am incredibly excited to get to work with Peter Flynn (director). If the journey of this show is reflective of the audition process that we had, it’s going to be a beautifully collaborative space. He will definitely bring another perspective into the rehearsal room, as will all of us.
“The beauty of this story is that it has its feet on two different continents, and to have the cast and creative team be representative of that truth will add to the nuance of the production,” she says.
Devonicia says she already feels her journey is out of the ordinary.
“I’ve had this dream since I was 14 years old, and over a decade later I am able to be in a musical as a result of years of training, refining and honing my craft,” she says.
