Emily Robinson, the musical theatre and Youtube star from New Zealand, has made her name known through social media. With over 7 million views on her Youtube channel, and nearly 80k subscribers, Emily loves connecting with fellow theatre lovers and performers. After doing musical theatre for the past 10 years, Emily has her eyes set on performing professionally. With her talent, it won’t come as a surprise to anyone when she starts doing it as a full time job! Emily was kind enough to answer a few questions about theatre, Youtube, and her goals!
How long have you been doing musical theatre for? What initially made you fall in love with theatre?
I started doing musical theatre at the age of 9 and initially fell in love with theatre because it gave me a chance to do all the things I loved; singing, dancing and acting. I had always thought that performing in front of an audience was something reserved for trained adults, so getting to perform as a child blew my mind.
What inspired you to start posting Youtube videos? What has been the most rewarding thing to come out of it?
I started posting on YouTube to showcase my performances and new songs I had learnt to friends and family! A lot of my family couldn’t come see me in shows, so when my parents were able to record a performance, we would send out the YouTube links! The most rewarding thing is just being able to sing and perform to an audience whenever I want!
Since you live in New Zealand, what do you think are the disadvantages and advantages to living there when pursuing a career in the theatre/acting industry?
A disadvantage is - there are very few professional opportunities in New Zealand which is disappointing (almost everyone who wants to pursue a career in theatre has to leave the country). An advantage is that there are a lot of amazing musical theatre opportunities for kids to train and get confident on stage, but once you reach a certain age and want to become a professional, that’s when things get tricky. Another advantage of doing theatre in New Zealand right now, is that because of New Zealand’s response to Covid-19, we are one of the only countries in the world who has been able to return to performing live without restrictions, which is a massive privilege.
How do you think gaining a following on social media has impacted your acting career?
I think it has definitely helped to get my name out there a little bit and help me find opportunities and make connections. It has also helped me to connect with so many amazing performers and collaborate with them!
What are your professional and personal goals? (These could be long term and/or short term!)
My number one goal at the moment is to start performing in musical theatre professionally. Earlier this year I was cast in my first professional production in Australia, but it was indefinitely postponed because of Covid. I’m really really really hoping it comes back, or that I can start auditioning for Australian productions again very soon. Long term, I just want to be able to have performing as my full time job. For personal goals, I just want to feel content. I’ve spent so much of my life dreaming and holding my breath. One day I hope I will be able to unclench my jaw, calm down, breathe out, and be satisfied that I’ve done something with my life.
Thank you so much to Emily Robinson for taking the time to do this! You can follow her on Instagram @Em_ilyRobinson and subscribe to her Youtube channel, Emily Robinson!