North Nova brings Oliver! to life on the stage

Nicholas Higgs has been performing, basically, his entire life.
When asked how old he was when he first started singing, he answers without hesitation: "Since I was two months old."
It's no wonder Nicholas loves to be on stage, as he grew up in a family of performers.
His four older siblings all loved to sing and act, so it seemed only natural that Nicholas would take after them.
Though he's just 10 years old, Nicholas already has movie and stage productions under his belt.
He had bit parts in the made-for-television movies Relative Chaos and Candles on Bay Street, for instance.
Later this month, Nicholas will be at centre stage when he takes on the title role of Oliver in the North Nova Education Centre musical production Oliver! Eleven-year-old Iain Sellers is also playing Oliver, with the two alternating in the role.
The boys rehearse almost every day after school, so being in the play has been time consuming.
But Nicholas and Iain say they don't mind. "I like going to rehearsal and learning from people who've studied acting," says Nicholas, who is one of the youngest members of the cast.
Like Nicholas, Iain also has previous acting experience - he has been in a few school plays. But Iain says he never expected he would be cast in the title role. "I was very surprised," he admits.
Both Nicholas and Iain hope they will continue acting and performing as they get older. "I love everything about it," Iain confesses.
"From acting and singing to being on stage, it's so much fun."

North Nova is once again preparing for its annual musical theatre production. This time around, a cast of more than 100 students, staff and members of the community will take to the stage for Oliver!, a musical based on the Charles Dickens' novel that tells the story of an orphan boy in Victorian London. The show will run from Feb. 28 to March 2. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors, and are available by calling 755-8180 extension zero.