The wings of a future star have begun to grow for Milana Mariu-Reade, a UCOL music ākonga, who at 17, was cast in one of the leading roles in Act Three’s upcoming production of Kinky Boots at the Regent on Broadway.
Right from kohanga reo, Milana grew up attending kaupapa Māori schooling in Auckland, until her family moved to Hamilton after she secured a music scholarship at
St Paul’s Collegiate College in Year 11.
Following her family’s preference that she return to a kaupapa Māori kura, Milana transferred to
Nga Taiatea Wharekura in Year 12 where she was Prefect of Arts and People.
“Kapa haka has always been a huge part of my life, however, I’ve always been really interested in musical theatre. My aunty is a performer for a living, and has been all around the world with it which was a big influence for me. Unfortunately, when I was offered lead roles in my school productions, I was made to prioritise kapa haka.”
Unfortunately, Milana’s environment wasn’t the greatest for her at the time, and she found herself in a rough patch where her mental health was suffering.
This led her to leave school after Year 12 and move to Palmerston North to live with her Dad and Step-Mum, where she first enrolled at UCOL Manawatū.
“Enrolling at UCOL was a complete 180 from what I had originally planned to do after school – I thought I’d go back to Auckland, study Communications and eventually go into hosting radio or TV. I needed to change my entire life though.”
“I love UCOL!” she exclaims with energy. “Going through both the Certificate and the Diploma, I can confidently say how supportive it is here. The tutors are so helpful, I don’t have enough words. No matter what we need, we can get in touch with Graham, Kane, or Nigel and they’re there for us. It’s been amazing. Even being able to change their teaching styles to suit everyone’s different learning needs is so wonderful.”
Gathering all her courage, Milana auditioned for her first musical theatre production in 2023,
‘We Will Rock You’, where she landed the understudy role of Oz (a leading part) and an ensemble role.
“Being part of that show was the most amazing experience; the cast was amazing, and the vibe was just one big family. Everyone was there for one purpose and to bring each other up in the process. I’m so grateful for Phil Anstis, Jessie Feyen, Cara Hesselin and Andrew Jamieson who were involved in the show for helping me to come out of my shell and increase my confidence.”
“Thanks to that experience, I was encouraged to audition for
Kinky Boots when the opportunity arose. Being part of Kinky Boots is pretty special to me as my Gran actually first took me to see the show in Auckland when I was younger, and now she’ll get to see me up there on the stage!”
“The audition process back in April was nerve-wracking, I was up against an incredible performer, and I’d actually spent most of my time preparing for a different role.”
“Thankfully, I got the part! I was so emotional. I definitely bawled my eyes out and then made my Step-Mum cry, too. We were just so happy! I was still only 17 at this point, too, so it was a pretty big feat.”
Milana is still finding her balance while juggling study, performing, having two part-time jobs – one in retail, and one teaching kapa haka at Clifton School in Bulls and St Mary’s Catholic School in Palmy – and still being a big sister to four younger siblings.
Her advice to her younger self sums up her determination to make it all work, though: “Fight for what you want and don’t worry about what others think of you.”
As for her advice to anyone else wanting to study music at UCOL? “If it sounds like you, do it! Music has hundreds of thousands of different genres so if one doesn’t fit, try the next and don’t take on any judgement – you’ll know if it’s right, and the music staff at UCOL will help you every step of the way.”