Panto debut over Christmas for Leonardo Vieira in Eastbourne

It comes after the tour Bat Out of Hell in May this year which also brought him to Eastbourne – on his first professional job after graduating from Italia Conti in 2021.

“It's going to be really really fun,” says the 20-year-old. “Bat Out of Hell was my first time in Eastbourne and I do think it really helps just to know the venue, just navigating your way around. It certainly helps walking wise which I love doing. I've done ten miles before. I come from the Surrey area and it's very countryside-y there and we've got forests and it's just 100 per cent relaxation to go walking. You get out of your own head and you get away from everything. It's just great.

“This is my first panto. Bat Out of Hell was my first job after graduating. I graduated in 2021. I didn't do A levels. I went straight to audition for performing arts and I went to Italia Conti when I was 16. It is difficult but nothing that you really want is ever going to be easy. You've got to be driven. You've got to have a strong mindset and you've got to work hard and just be able to ignore anything negative and just learn from any negative notes that you might get, the director saying that you were a bit off there or whatever. You've just got to learn and you've just got to get on with it.”

But then again he did manage to cope with training during all the difficulties of the lockdowns: “The college was great and they managed to set up a lot of Zooms and classes like that but it's really not the same when you are singing and acting and dancing, things where you just really need to be face to face with someone. I had to set up a chair as my ballet bar! And it's not quite the same. I spent all that time in the conservatory and I did doubt. We are all human and we all have doubts. When I wasn't able to do the training properly I was thinking that I was only 18 and wondering whether I should do something else, maybe some other course, whether I should do some accountancy or tax or something like that. But I was lucky I didn't have to in the end and it's just great to be doing this. But I do feel that the pandemic tested me. A lot of people in the pandemic dropped out of the profession completely, especially those that had already graduated and needed money for rent and so on. People dropped out completely and never came back and are now working as receptionists or electricians or something like that.”

Leonardo is delighted that he was able to stick with it, especially now that he is tackling his first panto: “It is definitely a new experience for me in terms of the audience participation. I never really went to panto when I was younger. I never really went to the theatre. I was originally into singing. I wanted to sing and write music but then I discovered that I could move and that I wanted to act and I'm still learning all the time which is great and I suppose it's just something that you get used to.

"The more you do it the more you can do it and then it becomes like second nature. So I'm really looking forward to this.”

To book visit www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk or call 01323 412000. Tickets priced from £15.50 with concessions.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​