‘Such a buzz’ - Rising Norfolk star charts career in the arts

The pandemic has made launching a career in the creative arts a major challenge for 19-year-old Ellie Nevard.

But Miss Nevard, from Dereham, said she was determined to forge ahead in her chosen field.

She recently graduated - via Zoom because of the lockdowns - from a three-year dance and drama course at Laine Theatre Arts, which she said was "a whirlwind".

Miss Nevard said: “There’d be a ballet class at 9am, and you’ve got 15 minutes to change, spring to your next class and you’d be trying to master a Southern US accent.” 

She started dancing when she was three, and went on to lessons at Dereham's Busy Bodies stage school, where she became head girl and dance captain.

She said: “The teachers literally watched me grow up - they were a huge part of my life and it’s such a special place to me, it always will be."

Miss Nevard launched her filming career by starring in a music video for the East Anglian singer-songwriter Huntar.

She said: "It was amazing to film on an airfield in an old vintage car. It was also the first time I’d ever been on a set, so to see how it worked - I was 17 - I thought it was incredible.

“It was my first proper insight into the filming industry - I was so fortunate to get that.”

Although Covid-19 has delayed her plans of moving to London, Miss Nevard spent much of last summer with other young Norfolk creatives.

In August, she co-produced and starred in a music video for the band Out at Sea, which she worked on with her boyfriend Callum Heinrich.

Miss Nevard said: “It was funny, we met on a little bike ride and it turned out he does musical theatre too.

“He’s got some friends who are in an up-and-coming Indie rock band, and he does filming and photography so they asked if we could make a video for their new EP.”

Looking at what 2021 may hold, Ms Nevard said: “It would just be lovely, even if it’s not me involved, to see theatres opening again. Just looking forward to going to see a show would be really nice.”