Hannah Hague was seen on the West End stage at Cambridge Theatre playing the role of Lavender in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical from 2015 to 2016 and has since gone on to perform as a dancer on The X Factor and at MOVE IT and recorded the promo for CBBC’s Find Your Tribe. Having recently filmed for an upcoming Christmas Netflix movie, Hannah is continually competing and training to heighten her skills and also has experience in modelling. Catching up with Hannah last month, we find out about playing the role of Lavender in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical, performing at MOVE IT and her career in dance.

What was your experience like playing Lavender in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical?

Playing Lavender in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical was such a great feeling. It was amazing being on stage and feeling that adrenaline every night. I loved performing live; if you messed up or you didn’t do your best, you always got the chance to perform it again the next day. It was almost three years ago now but I still have friends that I met in the show, everyone was so lovely. It was my first big project and it was an amazing experience.

What did you know about Lavender before auditioning?

I actually auditioned originally for Hortensia, but I actually got Lavender, which was a lovely surprise. I knew that she was a bubbly, energetic character (a bit like me!).

Do you have any plans to do more theatre?

Yes, I’d love to do more theatre in the future. It’s such an amazing feeling to be on stage.

You’ve done still photography work, what do you enjoy about this?

I love getting the opportunity to work with so many different photographers! I feel like the first time, it can be scary, but the more you practise, the more relaxed you get. It’s really fun to work with the people you’re shooting with though and I love to see the outcome of the photos afterwards.

What can you say about being a dancer on The X Factor?

Dancing at The X Factor finals was amazing. It was great not only to be able to perform on such a huge stage in front of so many people, but to dance behind such incredible singers and performers as well. It was really fun. Performing live in front of so many people was crazy, I still can’t believe it.

You’ve recently filmed for a Netflix Christmas movie; can you tell us about your time on set?

Being on set for this project was so fun. The film is coming out next year and I’m really excited to see it. All the cast and crew I met on set were so lovely and the work ethic was amazing. We shot our scenes so many times; I knew it would take a while, but it’s crazy when you actually do it in practice. It’s going to be really exciting to see the finished project.

Can you say about your time recording the promo for CBBC Find Your Tribe?

The CBBC Find Your Tribe promo was the first TV job I did. We were on stage but we were being filmed at the same time. It was really nerve-racking at the time as I had never been in front of the camera before! As we kept doing it, I got used to it and it was a really positive experience.

What came first for you – dance or acting?

I started dancing recreationally when I was three or four, but I started doing it competitively when I was around ten. I went to a musical theatre school where I did dancing, acting and singing when I was about seven or eight and booked the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical a few years later. I love acting and I love performing and I feel like when I’m dancing, I’m acting as well, I think they come quite well hand in hand. So yes, acting when I was about seven and dancing when I was about three.

How long have you been training in dance and what other training do you do?

I went to dance club when I was little but I started training properly when I was about eleven, when I started secondary school. I joined Spirit Dance Company and did three days a week. I’ve also had training in acting and singing.

Can you say more about your dance career and if you have any competitions coming up?

I’m training as much as I possibly can, just striving to get stronger and more versatile as a dancer. I train for competitions whenever I have a spare day. Recently, I’ve had so many events and competitions, but they’re such a good experience. I feel like since I’ve done so many recently, I’ve just got more confident on stage and I really enjoy them.

The competition season is coming to a close now, so I’m doing my current numbers for the last few times. I’ve started working on new numbers and dances for next season so that I’m ready to get started. We’re already looking at competitions for February, it’s crazy!

What’s the experience like at MOVE IT?

MOVE IT is an amazing event because people come from all over the world. I have friends that I haven’t seen for years, from Matilda and all the other things I’ve done, at MOVE IT, so it’s a good opportunity to see everyone.

I feel like when you enter MOVE IT and see all the stalls, it just makes you smile. The atmosphere is great. And the top choreographers always come to MOVE IT for classes, which is incredible. I loved performing on the Main Stage last year, which was thrilling because it’s such a huge event.

Apart from dance and acting, what other interests do you have?

I love to do calligraphy lettering and I like reading, cycling and photography. I actually love being behind the camera and taking pictures, too.

What are your career plans for the next few months?

I’ve got some upcoming TV projects that I’m hopefully going to be working on, so that will be exciting for my career. I’m also really looking forward to doing some more modelling work soon, and my first catwalk in September!

In the meantime, my main goal is to continue my training. I want to train in different styles so that I’m more versatile. I also want to learn from new choreographers and find all the new training I possibly can.

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