Lexi's future assured

Alexis Fishman only graduated from WAAPA in 2004. In less than three years, she's had a major role in a hit musical, been nominated for a Helpmann Award and is about to make her debut with the Sydney Theatre Company. Troy Dodds looks at the early stages of what is shaping up as a major theatrical career....

When three years in Perth is over, most WAAPA graduates re-locate to Sydney or Melbourne and attempt to kickstart their career. For most, bit parts in short films, co-op plays and opportunities to perform at events like Open Mic Idle and the Cabaret Showcase present themselves and inevitably, those who have stuck through what can be some pretty rough times tend to find themselves in the ensemble of a major musical, which can be a wonderful kickstart to a career. After that, the work either starts to come consistently and a career begins to form or, to be blunt, the dream begins to fade and other opportunities need to be looked at.

In so many ways, Alexis Fishman has gone against the typical WAAPA grain.

With only a little more than two years in the industry as a graduate, Fishman is beginning to forge a strong career and people are well and truly starting to notice her. And she's not the typical 'rising star with potential', either. Indeed, she has the credits to back up the talk - she starred as Young Dusty in the smash hit musical Dusty, which earned her a Helpmann Award nomination, and later this month she will make her debut with the Sydney Theatre Company in Troupers.

The success she has enjoyed so far is not to say she hasn't worked extremely hard to get there. Like everyone else, she has put in the hard yards and there's been no favours. There's even been a little bit of criticism, but like any good performer, Fishman will answer her critics on the stage and every time she's credited somewhere, it's another opportunity to shine.

When she spoke to AussieTheatre.com in the lead-up to the premiere of Dusty in 2006, she said: "It is so rare in this country to work on a brand new show and play such an integral part in its development. The script was constantly being updated and improved in rehearsals and Stuart (Maunder - our director) would come to us with new lines and we were able to say: 'Could I try this? What if I were to say that?' and see what worked on the floor."

She went on to call it an "exciting experience" and it can be called nothing less. To make your professional musical theatre debut in a musical that toured the country to great audience reaction just a year out of WAAPA is a dream come true. The fact that the show had ABC's television cameras following it every step of the way was a bonus, as was working with people like Tamsin Carroll, Ross Coleman and Stuart Maunder.

In that interview with us last year, she said of her debut: "I feel incredibly fortunate. This role is such a blessing and I love coming into the theatre each night. I work with a great bunch of people, we just have so much fun together!"

The fact that she was nominated for a Helpmann Award last year was the icing on the cake of the Dusty experience. To be nominated alongside fellow Dusty star Deni Hines, Jodie Gilles from Summer Rain and Christen O'Leary from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is something to behold.

While success came early for Fishman, she's also not immune from the underground theatre scene that become home to so many WAAPA graduates in the few years following graduation. Late last year, she appeared in the play Closer at the Newtown Theatre, again gaining considerable acclaim.

But now, the time comes to jump back into the mainstream stage as another goal becomes reality. Later this month, she makes her debut with the prestigious Sydney Theatre Company in Troupers.

Troupers is an affectionate, astute and timely look at those who soldier on with the show, and those who have to soldier on with life. It's a play about commemoration and the place of war in our history. Through popular song, soft-shoe shuffle and seance, audiences will travel across the outback to a new cenotaph and a dedication ceremony destined to make history.

Alexis Fishman has by no means "made it". Indeed, who in Australian theatre really knows the definition of those words. But she is certainly well and truly on her way, and when we talk about the rising stars of the theatre industry, Alexis Fishman's name should never be left out of the argument - her success so far is testament to that.

Troupers commences performances at Wharf 1 later this month, ahead of a February 3 opening night. Bookings: (02) 9250 1777.