The Acorn Foundation and the trustees of the FAME Trust are pleased to announce the selection for the 2024 Emerging Practitioner Award recipient at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Arts at the Ara Institute of Canterbury. Seven promising students are selected each year from top-rated performing arts schools in New Zealand to receive $10,000.

Singer, dancer, and actor Deanna Young is this year’s recipient from the Ara Institute of Canterbury. Deanna is a multi-talented future star in the performing arts, who has been destined for a future on the stage since she took her first ballet class at the age of 4. At age 13, Deanna was accepted into the junior hip hop dancing crew Bubblegum, who she traveled with to the Hip-Hop International competition in Phoenix, Arizona – where they placed 5th in the world finals. At Cambridge High School, she was Deputy Head Girl, Head of Te Hunga Haikaakaa, the Māori Cultural Committee, and an arts and cultural committee head – as well as being top of Level 3 Music.

NASDA Head of Programme, Simon Goudie, said, “Deanna is a natural leader and hardworking student who has huge potential and clear goals which is what this scholarship looks for. We know that students barely scrape by a lot of the time, and Deanna is out there doing everything she can to improve herself and give herself the best leg up she can while having to juggle the lack of student finance. I could see the relief fall off her shoulders before she allowed herself to be joyous when she was told about the award!”

Deanna will complete her Bachelor of Music Theatre in 2025. Once she completes her course, she aims to travel overseas for opportunities to break into the world of professional musical theatre – either in New York City in the USA, or by receiving professional opportunities to entertain guests on cruise liners.

Dance captain for NASDA’s latest second year show Anything Goes, Deanna Young said the award will allow her to sign up to extra-curricular dance classes and further competition work.

“It will help pay my fees for extra dance hours outside of NASDA. But really, it’s hard to be a student and earn money especially when preparing and performing show seasons. This will really help me get by and focus on my goals,” she said.