At just 12 years old, Aadhya Karthik knows what she wants to do in life and is taking the steps to get her there, representing Australia in the Regional Finals of the World Monologue Games.

In its fourth season, the Games call on actors to share their talents on a world stage; through different categories, they battle it out for a top spot at the podium. With competitors representing more than 100 countries, Aadhya says it’s often referred to as the Olympics for Actors.

“I love acting because it’s such a magical experience to bring life to a story and explore the different sides of yourself as you embody each unique character,” she says.

Aadhya is one of only seven actors aged between 12 and 17 to represent Australia in the youth category of the competition. Each young actor had to prepare a monologue of up to two minutes, record themselves and upload the video.

“I chose a monologue called Military Family; it’s a really evocative piece that explores the complex dynamics and relationships in a family that’s torn apart because of the military … I resonated with the protagonist of it and the character arc,” she says.

Successful videos are combined into one for judges and audiences to decide who will make it into the world finals with successful candidates informed on 3 November. Competitors heading to the finals have to reinterpret the original monologue they entered.

“I’ve done a bunch of different analyses of it, I know exactly what I do if I did get in,” says Aadhya.

Originally from Austin, Texas, Aadhya fell in love with acting at seven years of age when she took part in a local theatre production. She’s been refining her skills ever since. Moving to Canberra at the start of the year, she has already been involved in two Canberra Youth Theatre productions – The Trials and Soul Trading.

“I was looking for opportunities where I could still do acting and that’s where I found the World Monologue Games. I thought it was an interesting challenge for acting that would really push my skills,” she says.

If Aadhya succeeds in securing the title and prize money, she says she would invest in more acting classes, however, the recognition of her hard work would be the best part.

“It would prove to myself and my family that this something I am good at and validate that feeling.”

Find out more at worldmonologuegames.com

Canberra Daily would love to hear from you about a story idea in the Canberra and surrounding region. Click here to submit a news tip.