Fame on the cards for Katie

Mother’s pride: Joanne Gough is proud of her daughter’s success

LOCAL superstar Katie Gough is delighted to have landed her latest major role as a principal dancer in the acclaimed musical “Fame”.

The show opens on Thursday at Manchester Opera House and represents Katie’s most prestigious role to date. Competition for the part was stiff with Katie (15), from Chadderton, being plucked from 400 dance hopefuls.

She started dancing at only three and has plenty of experience of big shows.

Her big break came when, aged just nine, she was cast in her first professional role in a production of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”.

Katie has since held leading roles in other shows, notably “Hairspray”, as well as in pantomimes in Oldham and Rochdale.

Katie recognises her mum, Joanne, as the most important figure in helping her realise her dreams.

Joanne has driven her daughter to every audition, as well as each of the almost daily rehearsals for “Fame”.

She admits that she now knows most of the songs off-by-heart herself.

“Katie has no nerves. She’s really good at auditions and any setbacks just make her more determined,” Joanne said.

“She doesn’t boast about herself to anyone. In fact, she should probably tell a few more people!”

Dancing in “Fame” is just the start for Katie who hopes to attend a drama college when she finishes school. Her dream is to perform in major shows like “The Lion King” and “Les Miserables”.

A recent talk by “Coronation Street” star Anthony Cotton proved to be a real inspiration for Katie and has encouraged her to pursue a career in dancing.

She said: “You have to be ambitious, determined and really go for it right from the start. You can’t take setbacks at auditions personally, you just have to go to the next one!”