Known for 10 years through the Manchester anthem, now the dream role lands
MANCHESTER, CT — At age 10, Manchester native Rylie Pennington has already sung the national anthem in front of thousands of spectators at various sporting events and the city’s annual fireworks display. Later this summer, she will head to New York City for extensive training.
And from Thursday she will be on the road to success and will play her dream role.
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That would be the lead role in the play “Matilda” at the Chestnut Street Playhouse in Norwich. The performance is scheduled for July 11th to 28th.
“Rylie has been singing since she was three. Her father (Dan) is very musical, has been in bands and plays several instruments,” said her mother Kathryn Patch. “Chestnut Street Playhouse is a fantastic local theater.”
Rylie takes singing, acting and guitar lessons at the Fox Hill School of Music in Vernon. During the coronavirus pandemic, she became interested in musical theater, Kathryn said.
“And it made her want to sing in public more often,” Kathryn said.
That led to auditions to sing the national anthem. Since then, Riley has sung the “Star Spangled Banner” at games of the Hartford Wolf Pack (along with God Bless America on another occasion), the Hartford Yard Goats, the Connecticut Sun, and at Manchester’s annual Dutch Fogarty Independence Day Celebration.
“I used to worry about them. There were 8,500 people at the Wolf Pack and the fireworks were so crowded,” Kathryn said. “But now I’m used to it.”
Riley was aware from the beginning that the anthem had a reputation for being one of the most difficult songs to sing.
“At first I didn’t realize how difficult it was to sing, but over time I became comfortable with it,” she said. “I sing it over and over again and even practice at home.”
Matilda was perhaps more nerve-wracking.
Matilda is described on IMDb as an extraordinary girl with a sharp mind and vivid imagination who bravely fights to change her story – with miraculous results. Rylie had the opportunity to play the role but was not chosen. Last summer, she played Lavender, Matilda’s best friend.
“So… we saw an advertisement for an audition in Norwich and we were going back and forth because Rylie is quite big at 10,” Kathryn said. “She asked for one last chance.”
Rylie received a call back that same day and was then selected for the role.
“I was very excited,” she said. “I was a little nervous. I really tried my best because I thought it was my last chance. In my head I knew I did my best, but if I didn’t make it, I wouldn’t have cared.”
“The callback audition for Matilda was very stressful. There was singing, acting and dancing and some of the dancers were asked to leave. Then more and others were asked to leave.”
“For Matilda it was just me and another actor.”
Did she scream when she got the call offering her the role?
“Yeah… I did,” Rylie said. “I was nervous too because it’s my first time at this company and I feel like when you’re at a company for the first time, you don’t get a lead role because they don’t really know you.”
Click here for ticket information and show times.
On the final night, July 28, Rylie leaves for New York. She was recently accepted into the Broadway Artists Alliance. She will be in the city for seven days.
“I’ve been to a few singing camps before, but never one this big,” Rylie said. “I’ll be surrounded by a lot of experienced people, and some of the teachers have been on Broadway. I’ll get a feel for what it’s like in New York.”
Rylie and Dad perform locally as an acoustic duo.
Although Kathryn credits Dan with being “the musician in the family,” Dan has great respect for her.
“If Rylie is struggling with a dance step or a new song … Kathryn searches the world to find the right teacher to help her find the right teacher,” he said. “Kathryn has studied every Broadway show to find the perfect songs for her auditions. A mother’s love is truly a transformative and magical thing.”
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