15/02/2026
SPOTLIGHTING FRIENDSHIP 🥰pt. 2
As we say goodbye to Goldilocks, we want to take some time to highlight the friendships that have been built from within the Westenders; Ellouise and Brydie met just 3 years ago at the auditions for our 2024 production of Cinderella.
Ellouise says:
I decided to audition for the Westenders 2024 pantomime, Cinderella. I didn’t know many people from the Westie’s community, and was very aware that a lot of people were auditioning, and also that a lot of people had been there for years and had fully formed friendships, so I was a bag of nerves walking into that audition room. Brydie was one of the first people to put me at ease, beelined for me and made me feel instantly welcome in a room with a lot of new faces.
Over the past three pantos, we have been become close friends. What started as laughs and conversations in rehearsals, and the theatre during panto season, turned into plans and a genuine friendship outside of that. This year we got to play best friends Trixie and Freddie alongside one another. The best thing about sharing the stage with one another is that the laughs, the smiles and the heart is authentic. It was probably one of the easiest roles I got to play, due to sharing the stage with Brydie and the rest of the cast.
Working alongside your best friend means on the days you might not be feeling 100% in the rehearsal room, your friend can pick up on that and help you through your scenes. The scenes came naturally, and the laughs were endless. The only challenge was trying to keep a straight face during a scene with Brydie. Off stage, Brydie is the warmest, kindest and funniest person you could meet and because of that, that’s exactly who Freddie was and why so many people loved Freddie in this year’s panto. Which made playing Trixie, incredibly easy.
Westenders is a community, and it’s quite easy to find your people there. What starts as putting on a show together once a year evolves into a friendship. You end up spending so much time together that the people you meet there end up knowing you better than you know yourself. I am incredibly grateful for this community that have welcomed me and encouraged me to be my authentic self, because of it I have found amazing friendships and I loved getting to showcase that on stage this year with Brydie.
