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Home & EntertainmentFlying High with TimTim Maddren is Peter Pan in the upcoming pantomime, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell! Showing at Sydney’s State Theatre from July 7-16.What was is it like auditioningfor this role?I happened to be overseas when Bonnie Lythgoe produced Aladdin at the State Theatre in 2015. But my wife, Steph Maddren, was able to see it. Steph has been a supporter of Bonnie for many years; Steph was a contestant on the first season of So You Think You Can Dance? and attributes this to kick-starting her dancing career.After seeing Aladdin, Steph was effusive that I audition for Bonnie’s production of Cinderella the following year. Sure enough, six months later, I had a ball auditioning for Bonnie and her team, alongside Jamie Hadwen’s Cinderella. Performing in Cinderella was fantastic, I didn’t want it to end. Bonnie and Chris’ shows are the perfect mixture of fun and laughter, all wrapped in a special theatre magic. After this experience with Bonnie, Chris and the team, I couldn’t wait to work with them again!How did you find out that you had secured the role?My friend Cam puts on a weekly Taco Tuesday night at his house. A large group of us were there wearing shirts that read, ‘Forget the siesta it’s time to fiesta!’, when I got the message from Chris offering me the role. I leapt around the room and Cam even gave me permission to have the last taco (huge honour). I then replied to Chris with a gif of Peter Pan leaping about with joy.I was so excited – it’s one of those roles I’ve always wanted to play and I can’t wait.You have played many wonderful roles; do you have a special way to remember lines?It’s not a nice feeling when you realise your audition for a show was only as good as your line recall on the day.I mention auditions because in stage shows I usually know my lines by early rehearsals. I really don’t like it when line-drops and hesitations get in the way of what I want to do. I relate it to trying to fly with a broken wing.I’ve worked with lots of people who just blink at the page and their lines are in their head. For me, I take I while. Most of the television shows I’ve worked on have had small casts so you have dialogue to learn. This can some- times mean the production only goes as fast as you can memorise.My special tip to learning lines is to do it just before bed. I tried this after a neuroscientist friend of mine told me that memory test subjects recall information better if they study the information just before going to sleep the night before, and this really helped me.Do you think there will be some Hi-5 in your rendition of Peter Pan?60 LIVING LOCAL WINTER 17 “Dream, Inspire, Grow” www.livinglocalguide.com.au