On screen, Shayla McCormack voices Isadora Moon in the TV animated series on Sky Kids, which is an adaptation of Harriet Muncaster’s books of the same name. Further screen projects for Shayla have seen her play Jessica in feature film To Be Someone, and she was part of the recent Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical film. Last year, Shayla finished her run as Alice in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical in the West End, and whilst in the show, she performed at the National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals at the AO Arena in Manchester. Having made her professional stage debut in 2019 in Nativity! The Musical at the Eventim Apollo, Shayla went on to play Jane Banks in Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre alongside Zizi Strallen (as Mary Poppins), Charlie Stemp (as Bert) and Petula Clark (as the Bird Woman). Shayla chatted to us about voicing Isadora Moon in the TV animated series, playing Alice in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical and her time as Jane Banks in Mary Poppins.

What is it like voicing Isadora Moon in the TV animated series Isadora Moon and how is it getting into character?

I love playing the character of Isadora Moon! Isadora is a super cool character as she is half fairy and half vampire, and does things in her unusual and magical ways.

She gets up to so much mischief in all the episodes, which leads her to learn lots of new life lessons and make her character even stronger and wiser. This makes her so much fun to voice as I feel like I am there involved in her mischief and learning all these new things. I love bringing everything about Isadora Moon to life.

I really enjoy being in the studios and working as a team with all the Isadora Moon creatives. It has been so much fun working with Bill, the director, and Sharon, the voice director, in bringing Isadora’s mischief to life. I have such a good time at the studios that I never want to leave!

How is it being part of the screen adaptation of Harriet Muncaster’s books and what was it like seeing the completed animations for the first time?

Being a part of Harriet Muncaster’s book adaptation is really cool to see how the episodes go from a book to a script and then to what me and the other cast record and how we say it, and then to the final edit. The episodes always look so amazing when they have all the amazing effects added to them.

It was super exciting when I was first shown a clip of one of the episodes. I remember I was in the studios and the producer, Deborah Thorpe, showed me a clip of an episode. I remember being in complete awe at the final product and how surreal it was to have my voice coming out of an animated character!

Was there anything that drew you to the role of Isadora Moon and how did you feel finding out you’d booked the titled character?

When I first read through my sides for my audition, I immediately felt a connection with Isadora, as I have always loved stars, astronomy and fairies. So when I read through the script it felt as if I was reliving my life through her because I find lots of my characteristic traits within her, and I have always been one for making a little mischief!

When my agency told me that I had booked the role of Isadora Moon, I was over the Moon (quite literally) and I couldn’t wait to get into the recording studio!

What does a typical day in the recording studio look like for the project and do you have a favourite aspect of recording for the show?

I would arrive at the studios and be greeted by the very lovely team at the studios and I would get some honey and toast and a chamomile tea. Then I head downstairs to the recording studio and have a little chat to the creatives about what we are doing for the day. Then I head into the recording booth and get set up and check that all the volume levels are ok, we start with any pickups that may be needed. Then we get started reading through the script. I usually record one whole episode a session. We all have lots of fun and giggles and just live our best lives! I love working with Sharon Miller as she is so knowledgeable and fun to work with. Sharon brings out the best in me. One of my favourite aspects of recording Isadora Moon was when we recorded the opening and closing theme tunes. We had to dial across to America as Helen Park, who wrote the songs for Isadora Moon is over there and she was involved in directing me and recording the songs.

Can you tell us about playing Jessica in the feature film To Be Someone?

To Be Someone was such an amazing experience and I loved working with all the amazing cast and the director, Ray Burdis.

I loved playing Jessica because she is a very innocent little girl but has a real cheeky and streetwise side to her.

How was your time filming for Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical?

It was so much fun to be part of filming Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical film. At rehearsals, we had lots of fun learning dance choreography and acting through songs. We also got to visit some really cool locations like Bramshill. I could not believe how much the location looked like what I had imagined Crunchem Hall to look like.

The location we filmed at always had a cold and eerie feeling about it like there is someone always watching you, which was how I imagined a Matilda film set to be like. I remember when Emma Thompson would tell all us kids ghost stories about Bramshill, she is such a lovely lady and it was great to work alongside such an amazing actress!

It was also a great experience going to Shepperton Studios and seeing how many people work so hard together to complete such a massive production. The sets were amazing!

I have always loved the Matilda story from a very young age; so it was a great privilege to be part of this production.

Last year, you finished your run as Alice in the West End production of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical, what did you enjoy most about playing Alice and how did the run go?

Alice is an amazing character to play and is a very dance-based character, which I loved being able to do.

I felt I could really portray her feisty and resilient character through my dancing and how she is not one to shy away from a challenge. My favourite part of the show was doing the ‘superman’ on the swings in When I Grow Up, and how I felt so free every time I went flying out over the audience on the swing. It always brought me so much joy and the feeling of freedom and that I can achieve anything in life.

I will never forget one of the best nights of my life was when my team got to perform at the National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals in the AO Arena in Manchester. The whole team became one big family as we stayed in a hotel together and had lots of rehearsals together which was so lovely to have. I was so excited to go and perform alongside the other West End musicals casts. I had so much fun performing on the AO Arena’s stage, at the time I just couldn’t believe that it was real!

Had you read any of Roald Dahl’s books before auditioning and what was it like being part of one of the musical adaptations of his stories?

I have always loved reading since I was very little and taking trips to the library and I also love going to the bookshop to choose new exciting books to read. Roald Dahl was one of my favourite authors when I was younger. Some of my favourite Roald Dahl stories are The BFG, George’s Marvellous Medicine, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches and, of course, not forgetting Matilda! I also went to Roald Dahl’s museum which was really interesting as you get to see the chair that he always sat in to write his stories and lots of other artefacts and memorabilia. I also visited the library that he was inspired by in Matilda and I visited the shops and cafés in Great Missenden where Roald Dahl grew up. I love the way that Roald Dahl writes his stories, he is so creative with the way he uses words, sometimes creating his own language and the characters he developed. Every story is so imaginative whilst exploring and challenging some really important topics.

Being able to bring one of my favourite authors’ stories to life was so much fun and a privilege, a memory that I’ll never forget!

What was Jane Banks like to play in Mary Poppins and how was it performing the music and choreography?

Oh, being cast in Mary Poppins and playing Jane Banks was a dream come true that I am forever grateful for. Every time I received a recall I just couldn’t believe it and as it got closer and closer, the more excited I became. I had auditioned for lots of musicals before landing this role and had been in the finals a lot and then didn’t get the job so I knew that I had to keep myself level-headed and not let the excitement overtake. I have learnt to go to an audition prepared and to do my best and then as soon as I leave the audition I forget about it because it’s now out of my control and there are so many factors that will influence the final decision that we never will know about, this is the advice that I was once given and it has really helped me to understand how the industry works and to help me move on. So, when I received a phone call from my agent with the offer, I was ecstatic!

The rehearsals were very different to how they normally were as I was taking over a Jane Banks who was leaving the show so I was rehearsing on my own with the musical director, Alex Aitken, and the children’s director, Mark Hedges. I had to learn my part, the script, the songs and the dances, as Jane Banks without any other characters being there. Often, Mark would read in the other characters’ lines as my cue, we had a lot of giggles whenever he played the role of Mary Poppins! But I wouldn’t have gotten through it without the guidance and support of Mark and Alex, they both were truly amazing.

Jane Banks is very different from my own character as she is very snooty and precocious. Playing Jane Banks was a lot of fun as I got to explore a new side of me and bring it out through my acting, dance and singing. Supercalifragilistic was my favourite number as I found it was very inclusive as the choreography is adapted from sign language so everyone can enjoy the number. It was also really cool how the set and costumes were all sweets and how I got to dance on the sweet trolley. It was just so lively and gave me a buzz every time we performed it.

What was it like working with the rest of the cast and what are some of your favourite memories from performing in Mary Poppins?

All the cast were so lovely and supportive towards me on stage and off stage. It was fantastic working alongside Charlie Stemp. He is so inspiring with the way he performs and he is such a nice person. Charlie gave me lots of help and advice when I was in the show and we also had lots of fun.

One of my favourite memories was, during every show at the end of act one, the curtain would close and me and Charlie would do a funny dance and sing ‘into the interval, step in time’ as we left the stage!

In the show, there is a scene where Jane sits on the park bench with the Bird Lady played by Petula Clark. On my opening night, she put her arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ears ‘you did it!’. This made me realise that I had reached one of my dreams of performing on a West End stage, I felt at home and I was so happy.

What do you remember most from making your professional stage debut in Nativity! The Musical at the Eventim Apollo in 2019?

Performing Nativity! The Musical on the Hammersmith Apollo stage was my professional debut. I remember stepping out onto the Apollo stage and thinking there were thousands of people here to watch this show. This made my show exciting and filled me with lots of energy. Being in the show with Sharon Osbourne and Danny Dyer also excited me to perform my best.

Once I completed my first show, I remember walking to the underground station to travel home with my parents and seeing lots of people with Nativity! programs and I couldn’t believe that all these people at the station had just watched me in the show! My dad asked me ‘how are you feeling after being up on the stage in front of such a huge audience?’ and I remember replying ‘I can’t wait to go back tomorrow and get up on that stage again!’.

How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do?

When I was young, I loved singing, dancing around the living room and acting as a different character with my dad. We still pretend to be different characters even now, lol! My parents signed me onto ballet and tap classes when I was two years old. I started acting classes when I was four years old. I went onto stage for the first time at three years of age to perform our end of year show and instantly I loved it! At four years old, I auditioned to join the Sylvia Young Agency. I remember they had asked us to sing a nursery rhyme but when it was my turn I stood up and asked if I could sing a song from Annie instead, they agreed so I sang Tomorrow. From then it has been a roller coaster of fun and enjoyment! When you find what you love doing, you just can’t stop!

Can you tell us about your training?

I train almost every day! I train in RAD ballet, ISTD tap, jazz, contemporary street, commercial, locking and popping, house and breaking. I have regular singing and piano lessons, also acting and accent lessons.

Do you have any favourite films, TV and theatre shows to watch and how do you like to spend your free time?

Oh yes, I am a massive fan of Jenna Ortega, she is so inspiring as an actress, so I love watching her movies and, of course, Wednesday is up there at the top! I am also a big fan of Sadie Sink, especially in Stranger Things, she is such a fantastic actress. My dream role on screen would be in a character role that involves some sort of supernatural fiction, although I do love challenges and I’m pretty easy-going so I think I’d love acting in any genre.

I love going to the theatre, I have seen so many shows and really enjoy most of them so it’s hard to pick but my absolute favourite musical is Heathers! My dream role in the West End would be to play Veronica, I just love how her character goes through the transitions of being the uncool kid, trying to become accepted, then becoming evil when she meets JD and finally she realises her behaviour and how it has affected those around her and she changes and becomes sensitive and kind. I have watched it quite a few times but my favourite performer playing Veronica is Erin Caldwell, her performance was breathtaking and so believable.

When I do get some free time, I love to go shopping with my friends, have sleepovers and do facials together! I also love ice skating, skateboarding and riding my BMX, going to the gym with my dad and going for country walks with my Boxer dog who is called Star. When I’m chilling out, I love reading, playing the piano, singing and watching TV.

What are you hoping this year brings for you and do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about?

The most exciting thing about the industry is it is so fast-paced and you never know what is going to happen each week and what is just around the corner for you. I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason and that we all have a very individual and unique journey and sometimes that journey may take twists and turns that you never thought were possible, that’s what makes it so exciting! You have to have faith and believe, keep working hard and never lose sight of your goals. I am incredibly grateful for all the amazing opportunities I have had so far, I have had some great life experiences and met some fantastic people along the way. Without my amazing agents at Sylvia Young Agency believing in me and putting me forward for castings and all the wonderful casting directors and directors for booking me on jobs I would never have had these amazing experiences, so I am forever grateful to everyone involved. I am extremely excited for what the rest of 2024 will bring!

Follow Shayla on:

Instagram