Mamma Mia, this girl is on the rise

August 12: Melbourne-based performer ESTHER HANNAFORD is part of a talented family, and she is set to do them proud when it comes to musical theatre, as TROY DODDS discovered...

Four years ago she was bounding across the stage as Lisa in the smash hit tour of Mamma Mia!, and since then Esther Hannaford has slowly carved out an impressive CV that has her ready to take on whatever may come her way.

Hannaford credits the Mamma Mia! experience for helping her mature both as a performer and an individual.

"I am so honoured to have had Mamma Mia! as my first big show, I think of it as my three year theatre degree," she said.

"I was 19 at the time and had to grow up very quickly. Thankfully the creative team, which included Gary Young, Darren Yap and Stephen Amos all nurtured and taught me much of what I know today as a performer; the experience was priceless."

After Mamma Mia! closed in June 2005, Hannaford worked extensively with the Australian musical Virgins, which visited the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2006.

Now, she finds herself involved in another new Australian musical - Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank’s Once We Lived Here, which is currently at workshop stage.

"The show is set in Australia and it tackles challenging subjects and issues for all five characters," Hannaford said.

"The show won them the Pratt Prize Commission last year and they are hoping to produce it some time next year. The workshop cast includes Anne Wood, Christie Whelan, Glenn Quinn and Adam Lubicz."

Hannaford is also preparing to work with The Production Company for the first time in their 10th anniversary production of Mama at the State Theatre in Melbourne.

"The Production Company have done a great deal for musical theatre in Melbourne," she said.

"Not only by giving prestigious prizes and financial support to nurture up and coming writers, but allowing hundreds of performers the chance to work in three different musicals a year and in shows that may never have been brought here as full scale productions."

It's not hard to see where Hannaford gets her talent from, she is one of five children, and all have ended up as artists of some form.

"My two older sisters are designers; Ross and I are the musical theatre performers whilst my younger brother is a student at The Australian Ballet School. We were taken to the theatre from a very young age and my mother in particular was an amazing artist and instilled a strong artistic work ethic in all of us."