Northport Girl, 12, Makes Broadway Debut In Harry Potter Play

NORTHPORT, NY — Makayla Joy Connolly, 12, of Northport, officially hit Broadway. She recently made her debut in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" as Lily Potter Jr., daughter of Harry and Ginny Potter.

Her mother, Kimberly Connolly, said she's not sure how long her daughter will be performing, but said Makayla is enjoying every minute of the experience. The community can rally behind her and purchase tickets on the "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" Broadway website.

Makayla has been acting and singing for about three years and is currently represented by her talent manager, Jackie Reid, owner of Lil Angels Unlimited, and talent agency Innovative Artists . As a young child, Makayla never wanted to be on stage, saying it was too scary, according to her mother. When she turned 8, she asked to go to an acting school, though was only interested in backstage techniques. As a result, she joined Northport Community Theater. Things took an unexpected turn from there.

"Her third day at the theater, the director came up to me and said, 'Well guess who auditioned today and got the part of Molly in 'Annie,''" Kimberly Connolly told Patch.

Her mother described the following years as a "rocky yet rewarding road" for her daughter.

At the age of 9, Makayla auditioned for "The Little Mermaid" at the John Engeman Theater at Northport, and was offered the role of Flounder. She performed in a variety of shows at the theater, playing Balloon Girl in "Gypsy," and JoJo in "Seussical."

When she turned 10, she was offered the role of Susan Waverly on the Broadway National tour of "White Christmas," where she traveled to Arkansas, Texas, New Orleans and Chicago. She has also played Veruca Salt in "Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory," Annie in "Annie" and Gracie Schinn in "Music Man."

Additionally, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, sang the National Anthem on the USS Intrepid and at college university football games, as well as many wonderful fundraisers. She was also one of the youngest top-7 finalists in Long Island's Got Talent when she was 9.

Kimberly Connolly shared a letter with Patch that she recently wrote to her daughter.

"Thank you for teaching me so much about myself and about life," she wrote. She talks about getting over her fears of consistent commutes to New York City, long drives to other cities, and flying to different states, though she hasn't conquered her fear of subways...yet.

"I have learned so much from you and through your extraordinary experiences," she continued.
"But more than anything I have learned so much about you. Your passion and desire is so beyond others I have ever known. Since you were 8, you went from 'I’m not going on stage, Mommy' to 'Wait I landed the part of Molly in 'Annie'' to 'I want to make it to the top of the crane; the crane is Broadway, Mom. How do I get to Broadway, what do I need to do?'"

Kimberly admits she had no idea where to begin. But eventually, with enough hard work, Makayla has found herself in a Harry Potter play on Broadway.

Her mother commended her daughter for her determination over the past three years, from the tireless hours of memorizing lines for auditions to voice and dance lessons, all while staying on top of her school work and staying healthy.

"There have been many let downs and disappointments, making top-two for four to five top
productions along the way, but yet you found it within yourself to not let those struggles
get you down," Kimberly wrote to Makayla. "Look at you now kiddo…you made it... yes it’s remarkable you landed Broadway, but I truly believe it’s more than that. You found yourself and believed in you."