Actor and singer Jarrod Lee is heading off to The West End of London to follow his dream of appearing on stage.
At 15 Jarrod Lee was told he should never sing again - but 12 years on and the Aucklander has set his sight on London's world famous West End.
"I had a terrible sense of rhythm, my pitch wasn't great and my voice wasn't well supported," he said.
"Many friends without ill intention would laugh when I tried singing, telling me how off-key I was."
Lee has now well and truly silenced his doubters, and having been accepted into the world-famous Royal Academy of Music in London, is aiming to make it to the big time.
It follows a whirlwind rise in the entertainment scene in New Zealand, winning his first singing competition aged just 17 and then two years later starting to perform on some of Auckland's biggest theatre stages, including in Miss Saigon at the Civic Theatre.
"When I did my first musical at age 15 I fell in love with it. I would imagine myself singing on the world stage and really gave the performance my all when no one was home."
But even then Lee harboured fears whether his voice could provide a stable career and initially chose to become an accountant as it seemed like the sensible and "financially smart" thing to do.
Pictured is Jarrod Lee who is heading to The West End of London to follow his dream of performing there on the stage. 20 July 2017 New Zealand Herald photograph by Doug Sherring
He soon found the traditional career path was not his jam.
"My urge to move, be physically active and emotionally expressive really got in the way as I felt as I was being suppressed into someone I am not," he said.
"It feels very surreal that the little steps I took have turned into giant strides."
He chose the Royal Academy of Music in London because of its proximity to the theatres in the West End and its connection to some of the biggest names in musical theatre.
As part of this he will be given the opportunity to perform in a showcase in front of top casting directors and agents on a West Agent stage.
"With a 95 per cent sign on rate with agents, I will be putting in my 100 per cent to score that role on the West End."
However, the theatre dream is not cheap. Tuition costs were around $40,000 and Lee needs $60,000 in the bank for his visa.
He hopes to fundraise at least $10,000 to help towards the costs.
"$10,000 would mean I can definitely go and anything more would be a bonus to allow me to focus entirely on studies," Lee said.
He has organised a fundraising concert to be held on August 18 at Michael Park School.
If he makes it to the big time, he won't be the first Kiwi to make it on the world's biggest theatrical stages; last year Nick Afoa secured himself a role as Simba in the UK production's version of The Lion King; and Hayden Tee got a job playing Javert in the Broadway production of Les Miserables.
