Tricia Baggs is known in the local music scene as a talented pianist and vocalist, but this new undertaking will be show-stopping.
She is filling the roles of musical director, pianist and voice of gigantic puppet Audrey II for Shepparton Theatre Arts Group’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, opening on Friday night.
But this isn’t her first rodeo, having been passionate about piano since she was young.
“I'm the youngest of eight kids and my mum always wanted one of them to play the piano and by the time she got to number eight, she could afford piano lessons,” she said.
“I got piano lessons from seven and it set up my destiny really.”
However, it wasn’t love at first melody.
“I liked it, I didn't love it, but I liked it enough to keep going and mum loved me playing so much. I wanted to make her happy, so I kept going,” Ms Baggs said.
Her future in music was solidified in school, when it was time to decide where to go.
“There wasn't anything else I wanted to do,” she said.
“I was like, ‘well, it's going to be music’ and I missed the auditions to get into uni because I was the only one doing Year 12 music and my school didn't tell me and I didn't know.
“And my parents didn't finish high school, didn’t even finish primary school, so they didn’t know how it worked.
“My oldest brother was the one that really suggested that I try and do some university on it, and he got me an audition.”
She ended up getting an audition to undertake a Bachelor of Education, which led her to regional Victoria.
“Because I was so late with my entry, that was the only one they would let me into,” Ms Baggs said.
“I went in and did my audition, and they listened to me, and they went, ‘hmm’ and I swear they only let me in because they gave me the disadvantaged ticket for being from a small country town, but they saw something in me.”
She began teaching at the Kyabram Secondary College, before it became P-12.
“It was an amazing place to be and that's really where I got encouraged to look into the theatre side of things,” she said.
“I went with someone to go see my first STAG show, Little Shop of Horrors in 1992, and I could not believe how good it was,” Ms Baggs said.
“I was just like, ‘oh my God, I've got to get involved in this. How do I get involved in this?’ but I didn't know how.”
That was until 1994, when Brian Davis was putting together the orchestra for Les Miserable.
“He said, ‘how about you come and play in it?’ and I thought ‘this is my way in and so now I'm going to do it’ and that was life changing.”
Since that initial production, she has continued in her pit work, and even made a stage appearance in Calendar Girls as Cora in 2017.
She said that it was the human connection she loved more than anything else.
“It's the community of people, it's the friendships, it's being a part of something,” she said.
Her appearance as Audrey II came about from a simple question.
“When Helen Janke texts you and says, ‘would you MD with us?’, you don't, you don't say no to that because that's an opportunity that doesn't come along very often,” she said.
She won’t be stuck in the pit, however, with the band being loud and proud on thew top of the stage.
“They had the vision of the band being the plant and that really got me involved because I do love being involved in the actual theatre,” she said.
The character of Audrey II is a unique one, with her being a murderous plant with dreams of world domination and all.
“Audrey is very interesting, and I think of her as Mother Nature taking something back,” she said.
Little Shop of Horrors will hit the Westside stage for five shows from September 6 to September 14.
Tickets can be bought through Riverlinks over the phone on 5832 9511 or online by heading to riverlinksvenues.online.red61.com.au/event/829:2154