A talented Liverpool youngster made his television debut in The Family Pile this week.
Sonny Lackey lit up the screen as Connor in the first episode of the Merseyside set sitcom. The 14-year-old from Melling told the ECHO he feels like he is in the "longest dream" as he described the "surreal" experience of watching himself on TV.
Sonny's journey to the screen started in humble circumstances four years ago when he decided to join the same stage school his friend attended. He didn't realise at the time that Harmony Casting was also a talent agency who would work tirelessly to get him his first acting credit.
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The ECHO visited the stage school in Seaforth on the night The Family Pile was set to premiere on ITV. The centre holds a strong place in Sonny's heart as the driven Maricourt Catholic High School student refused to miss an acting session even on the night of his screen debut. He said: "They taught me my trade.
"Getting into acting is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm doing my GCSEs now and I've picked drama so I'm still hunting for knowledge. I'm just making my way up the staircase at the moment."
The school is run by married couple, Maria and Scott Dewhurst, who took over the company in 2017. Maria recommended Sonny for the role and was in tears when she heard the student bagged the gig after a long audition process.
She said: "The kids are my world. We're like an extended family here and I just love being able to get it for them. We're only a small family run business but I just live and breathe for it."
Maria describes herself as the "mum" of the company and her maternal role is on full display when the ECHO interview is interrupted as she helps one of the students find a lost phone. The 51-year-old deals with casting enquires and arranges classes at the school, in addition to her actual job as a member of the civil service.
She said: "My job pays the mortgage, but Harmony is different because that's my life."
The mum-of-three from Litherland does not hail from an acting background – and her interest in performance was sparked when she saw the transformative effect attending drama classes had on her own children's confidence. Maria never envisioned she would be at the helm of a stage school, but the direction of her life changed forever when she acquired the company in unusual circumstances.
Maria's son was signed up to Harmony Casting under its previous ownership, but had started to fall out of love with acting as he got older and she laughed as she recalled the day he didn't turn up on set for an extra role in Peaky Blinders.
She said: "A long story short he had been out the night before and wasn't in a state to attend let's say. The previous owner phoned me and just said 'I'm thinking of getting rid of it' and she gave me first refusal. At the time, I'd just left a full time job and was working part time evenings so it felt like a good move."
The decision set Maria's life on a different course and she now thanks her son for his ill timed hangover. She said: "I do believe that things happen for a reason and it was meant to be. This is my passion. Everyone goes through down periods but you come here and you see the kids and it gives you a lift."
Maria's experience of raising children with an interest in drama helped shape the business model as she understands the huge costs involved in pursuing an expensive passion. She said: "I worked for acting schools so my kids could go to drama classes. Some schools say you've got to pay term wise so you have to pay three months at once, but people haven't got that."
She added: "We used to spend hundreds going down to London. You'd get there and you'd be standing in a room full of hundreds of kids and you knew you didn't stand a chance.
"I don't have any new starters joining the paid platform Spotlight. Get your practice out of the free Casting Networks and when you feel you're ready then do it. All these auditions say go down to London, I will always ring them and ask can we do a self-tape."
The studio is located in the community focused Bowersdale Resource Centre on Crescent Road. Classes are priced at £20 for a two hour lesson and available to people of all ages.
Harmony Casting students have also received gigs on productions such as Anne and The Responder – and Maria is determined to continue to break down barriers of access into the industry as she said: "I don't think there's enough for people who need a break. Not a lot of people have got money to send the kids to these big expensive schools. Even these big expensive schools, they still get the same auditions as me. So if the child isn't right here, then they're not right there."
Maria credits the continued success of the school to the work of teacher, Rebecca Casey. The 35-year-old from Ormskirk speaks to the ECHO after putting the children through their paces as they continue their practice for a Scouse pantomime twist on Alice in Wonderland.
The singer said Sonny's TV appearance has helped lift the other students in the class and told the ECHO about the importance of giving hope to young kids from all backgrounds.
She said: "Children from this area just seem to have something that others don't. They're passionate and it's raw talent. The more we can get for this area and for the North West the better. I just felt like when I was coming out of college everything was in London.
"They cast people from down there to do our accent. There's so many with talent from here so let's use them."
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