PENNY MCNAMEE
Playing Nessarose in Wicked

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A nun. The kind that played guitar, sung songs and fell hopelessly in love with a good looking man in uniform. “Excuse me Captain, I don't know your signal..."

Who is the most important person in the world to you?
My beautiful fiancée Matt. In the words of a gorgeous song… “He is my home, he is my peace“.

What animal best represents you and why?
A border collie I think…. I love being around people (often have to refrain from licking their faces), I love big open spaces, I am happy when a family member walks in the door, I can never sit still… and I quite often wear white socks!

If you were a contestant on Deal Or No Deal, how much would you need to be on offer before you walked away?
Enough to buy us a wonderful honeymoon!

What’s the worst date you’ve ever had?
A few years back, on a cold night, a young lad and lass sat with their legs dangling over the edge of the water at Darling Harbour - chatting and laughing away. When the girl (who was known for her large hand gestures) knocked her Louis Voutin handbag into the water! Whilst she flapped around, watching her life sink before her eyes… the young man ripped his shirt off and DIVED IN! Two days later he was in the doctor’s surgery - severe case of lice. The girl never told him the bag was fake, but made sure he knew his gallant efforts were very much appreciated. There was no second date.

Windows or MAC?
I am writing on a PC and don’t want to offend it in case it decides to fight back. But if I had my time over…

Which Spice Girl was your favourite?
Ginger was sassy!

Who is the actor you would most like to work alongside?
Goldie Horne or Bette Midler would be a hoot… both brilliantly funny! But on the serious side… I’d love to watch and learn from Rachel Weisz or Leonardo Dicaprio - they both making fantastic film choices and aren't bad to look at either!

What five songs would be the first you put a mix tape?
LOVE: 'Walking her Home' Mark Shultz. COUNTRY: 'Better Life' Keith Urban. OLD SCHOOL: 'This is it' Danni Minogue. OLD MUSICAL THEATRE: 'The Trolley Song' Meet Me In St Louis. NEW MUSICAL THEATRE: 'I Can Do Better Than That' The Last Five Years.
I am so ashamed of my taste in music, but I just can’t help it. I wish I was one of those trendy people who went to music festivals and always knew who the next big thing was going to be… instead of jumping on the band wagon two years too late.

What is the best thing about theatre in Australia?
1. Although it is sad that we very rarely have long-running shows in our lovely country, the upside is that we will always see the best people in the role.... a) because they are unlikely to be performing in another show, and b) because we will not have 15 cast changes over the period of the show.... always a silver lining!. 2. Biogs and photos are all in the one program! Brilliant!

What is the worst thing about theatre in Australia?
The programs are always so expensive! (Probably because the biogs and the photos are all in the one program).

Favourite food?
Chocolate Yogos… they were the food that all the other kids at school used to have and I never did. So now that I’m an adult and get to do my own groceries, I buy the 12 packs!

What would you do if you found a wallet on the ground?
Well considering I wanted to be a nun…

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Fairy parties. I once turned up to a 5 year-old's birthday party - tu-tu, wand, facepaint and all, only to be greeted by Hugh Jackman, Simon Baker, Anthony La-Paglia.... etc. Not exactly how I imagined meeting the A-Listers of Australian film. That was the last fairy party I ever did.

What’s the first website you visit when you come online?
Hotmail... what a boring answer.

Name one moment when you looked around, breathed happily and felt content.
Listening to my Dad and my fiancée speak at our engagement party. Out came the waterworks! I thought to myself “What have I done to deserve these two amazing men in my life”.

Red or white?
None when I have to sing thank you very much!

Where is the most interesting place you have travelled?
A tiny ski town in Austria called Hoffgarten. It was the most peaceful and beautiful little village I’ve ever seen... heaven on earth.

Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?
I once had lunch at Rob Lowe’s house. One of those “how did I end up here?” moments in life that you never quite figure out.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully redeeming myself with the A-listers previously mentioned.