Bronté Barbé
Actor
Musical Theatre / TV
“I KNOW I CAN SAY NO WHEN SOMETHING ISN’T FOR ME.”
While studying for her A-Levels in sixth form, Bronté Barbé auditioned for the BBC’s Over The Rainbow, a series that followed the search for a new musical theatre talent to play Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz. Deferring her place secured at Mountview, Bronté continued through the show to the top ten.
“When the show finished, one of the casting directors arranged a few agent meetings for me and one was with James and Aileen at McEwan & Penford,” explains Bronté. “I remember meeting them and just being very honest, and saying I wasn’t sure whether to go to drama school or not. They were really encouraging and suggested I go, and when I finished at Mountview, we just picked up right where we left off. It wasn’t long before they helped me land my first job in Carnival of the Animals.”
“I knew in my gut I was ready to take on more…”
Following Bronté’s run in this musical, she went on to perform in the ensemble of Shrek, before playing Fiona as part of a 20 month tour. “There came a time on Shrek where I just knew in my gut that I was ready to take on more, so I told James and he quickly set about making it happen. I’ve found that a lot with McEwan & Penford. They seem to trust my intuition even when I’m not sure myself. That support, to know they’ve got my back completely, is just so reassuring.”
“Even during COVID, opportunities have not stopped coming in.”
As Shrek closed, Bronté went on to some screen work appearing in Call the Midwife, before taking a leading role in the Carole King musical, Beautiful. “As well as my roles in musical theatre, they’ve also helped secure a lot of workshops for me, which is something I absolutely love doing. I honestly feel like they are thinking about my career across the board. Even during COVID, opportunities have not stopped coming in with both screen work and adverts. The best thing is that I know I can say no when something isn’t for me. I mean, there’s no pressure and I think that’s quite rare.”
She created the role of Kathy in Edinburgh hit musical Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder and starred in the UK premiere of Newsies.
“I’ve been with them thirteen years now. I know they are taking care of all the contracts and negotiations and hard work, but they never let me worry, and they never let me feel like I’m saying or doing the wrong thing.”
