By Helen Musa

When I hook up by phone to Sabrina Live! star Nakita Clarke at home in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, I get more than I bargain for.

Named by The Australian as one of the Top 100 Influencers in Australia, at just 18 and about to turn 19, Clarke speaks with the smooth polish of someone who has lived a lifetime on stage.

Immediately turning to Sabrina Live!, a high-energy theatrical pop concert inspired by global pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter, the former Disney star who became a major global pop artist in the mid-2020s, she says: “The audience for this show is very much all ages. You can bring kids, teenagers, adults and grandparents. I feel it is a show for everyone.”

Long before the flashing lights and arena-sized vocals we’ll hear at Llewellyn Hall, Clarke’s story began at just eight years old with a professional role as the littlest of the Trapp children, Gretl, in The Sound of Music, alongside her big sister Savannah Clarke, who played Louisa.

From there, she didn’t just grow into the arts, she immersed herself in them. Singing, dancing, acting, even playing instruments such as piano and bass guitar all became part of her daily life.

At the Village Nation Performing Arts Centre, where she trained from the age of four, she built the foundation of what performers call the triple threat (acting, singing, dancing), although in her case, with expertise in accents, the pundits are calling her the quadruple threat.

Her career quickly expanded with Elf the Musical and School of Rock the Musical, where she took on the lead role of Summer across Australia and South Korea.

Behind the scenes, life wasn’t always typical. Schooling came in between rehearsals, sometimes online, sometimes on the road. But for Nakita, that balance became a strength rather than a challenge.

“It’s not normal,” she admitted, “but it worked for me.”

With supportive parents and sister Savannah already forging her own path in the arts, Clarke grew up in an environment where creativity was encouraged and expected.

Now, in Sabrina Live!, Clarke takes centre stage in a show that blends theatre with the vibe of a live pop concert. The production, by Dan Fabian with choreography by Alex Miedzinski, channels the spirit of Carpenter’s music, from Nonsense to Espresso.

“It’s really theatrical, it has a theatrical pop concert kind of vibe, but it’s just me singing with four-boy and four-girl dancers, a good team of people, and it’s so cool to work with them and see how they work.”

Sure, it’s a tribute show, but for her, portraying Sabrina isn’t about imitation, it’s more about connection.

“She’s funny, a bit sarcastic, not too serious,” Clarke says. “So that’s similar to me, people say I’m always laughing and smiling.”

Unlike traditional musical theatre, Sabrina Live! gives Clarke something different, freedom.

“In musical theatre, you’re serving the character,” she explains, “but with pop, you can really feel it in your own voice.”

That freedom translates into a performance that feels alive, less scripted, combining Broadway-level storytelling with arena-scale spectacle, lighting effects, costume changes and a full band.

For audiences, Sabrina Live! promises a night of music, movement, and energy. But for Clarke, it represents a time where years of training, passion and persistence converge under the spotlight.

From a little girl stepping on to the stage for the first time to leading a major touring production inspired by one of pop’s biggest stars, her journey feels right, and best of all, she says, “we can see that people are having the best time”.

Sabrina Live!, Llewellyn Hall, April 9.