Well, she can’t do it on her own but Paige McOnie (Year 11), playing ‘Eliza Mayhew’, will team up with Sherlock Holmes’ Baker St Irregulars to solve the case on-stage, in a Hamilton Playbox theatre production in July.

The story is that Sherlock Holmes is missing and a group of street urchins who have been assisting him on cases - the Baker Street Irregulars - vow to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Then the Lord Mayor's daughter goes missing, and Eliza turns up asking for help to find her missing grandfather. She and the Irregulars decide to solve the case and quickly discover that they are up against a sinister villain.

Passion for theatre started very early for Paige. 

“I was always artsy, writing plays, making my family watch endless shows I’d created. As soon as the opportunity to be part of school productions came up I jumped at the chance,” she explains. 

Paige has appeared as Gabriella in High School Musical, Gertrude in Seussical Jr and been in various casts, including HGHS’ production of We will Rock You in 2021.

Paige has taken drama at HGHS since Year 9 and has taken both Junior and Senior classes with Stagecraft at Riverlea Theatre. 

“Productions are so much fun. You get to meet and hang out with new and different people. I’ve made friends for life working on shows. But you also learn really important life skills - how to interact with people, how to work in a team, how to take direction. And you don’t even realise you are learning these things at the time because it’s all so much fun.”

Covid has disrupted plans for the HGHS/HBHS Joint Production for 2022 but we will see Paige on the Ngā Puāwaitanga stage soon. Until then, show your support for Paige by going to see her in Sherlock Holmes: The Baker St Irregulars, from 2 July 2022.