Ocean Grove’s Lauchie Mant will perform in AG Theatre’s production of Mamma Mia! The Musical at The National Theatre in St Kilda for the next month. He spoke to Matt Hewson about following your heart and finding your people.
Though only 23, Lauchie Mant is something of a latecomer to musical theatre.
While he participated in high school productions like School of Rock, Lauchie was drawn more to pop icons than triple threat stage actors.
“Performing has always been a passion, definitely an outlet, but when I was younger I was more so referencing Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, those sort of artists,” he said.
“I’ve got two older sisters and we grew up with a lot of music around us. Every family function, there’s going to be lots of loud music and dancing, especially around Christmas and New Years we always put on a big family party.
“Being the youngest, I would see my sisters singing and dancing to Hannah Montana, Nikki Webster, so I guess I just looked at them and absorbed that.”
Lauchie enjoyed singing and performing pop music, undertaking vocal training and participating in “little gigs here and there” while studying his VCE.
And while his parents wholeheartedly supported his performing pursuits, they also encouraged Lauchie to work hard and study for a good career. He did so, enrolling in a double degree in law commerce at Deakin.
“Mum moved to Australia from Sri Lanka with her family when she was one, and my dad also moved here when he was a teenager…coming from my cultural background, it’s that thing of you have to be a lawyer or a doctor or an engineer,” he said.
“My parents would say to keep performing as a hobby, on the side. But they’re beautiful, they only support me.
“And law, for me, is definitely an academic interest, but it doesn’t fill my cup like performing.”
And so, two years into his double degree, Lauchie reduced his study load at Deakin to enrol in Brunswick performing arts school Showfit Studios.
“Doing part-time uni while doing full-time musical theatre training was kind of crazy, but I did it anyway,” he said.
“But I still never thought of it as musical theatre. I always loved movie musicals, like Hairspray, Grease…but I went into Showfit thinking, oh, I just want to learn more about singing, acting and dancing separately.
“But I found musical theatre to incorporate everything I loved…it brings them all into this beautiful experience.”
Lauchie graduated from the two-year performing arts course last year, scoring two theatre gigs along the way that only cemented his new love for musicals.
“My first professional show was (Sean Donehue and Nick Waxman’s) Bearded in January 2025, and that was based on the 2017 gay marriage equality vote,” he said.
“It’s centred on two teens coming of age and coming out to their parents, one having really conservative parents and one not. It’s a beautiful story of how they discover themselves and help each other out.
“It’s such a fun musical, a lot of dancing, very camp, very upbeat and energetic. I felt right at home, being gay myself, so for that to be my first professional musical was amazing.
“I learned so much about myself, and about gay history as well. I was a bit too young in 2017 to understand the gay marriage equality vote at time…I learned so much about the significance of speaking up and being yourself.
“And being part of a cast that was so proud, celebrating themselves, it was beautiful to be a part of, definitely a homecoming.”
In September last year Lauchie had a different, but no less revelatory, experience playing David Van Patten, one of Patrick Bateman’s boys club members, in See You Sunday’s production of American Psycho at Chapel Off Chapel.
“I had not watched American Psycho prior to the audition…(so) I was really surprised to get an email pretty much the next day saying ‘we would love to offer you the role of David Van Patten’,” he laughed.
“I think what I showed was my love for 80s music, and I think my look as well; I had the new edition moustache for 2025, and I think that also sold it.
“But that experience was amazing, I got to work with people who had done shows like Frozen, Wicked, Cats, Footloose, a lot of shows on big stages. Coming into it, I felt a bit intimidated, but the cast could not have been more welcoming.”
With 2026 in full swing, Lauchie is preparing to dive back into full-time study to complete his law and commerce studies, but not before performing in a month-long run in the ensemble of Mamma Mia at St Kilda’s The National Theatre.
“Mamma Mia is definitely on a bigger scale, I’ve never been on a stage this big as of yet, so it’s really exciting,” Lauchie said.
“I got to see Tarzan last year at The National and I was blown away. I didn’t think I was actually going to be on that stage in a couple of months after that, so it’s kind of crazy.”
The experience represents a new level of performing for Lauchie, another step into an industry that continues to draw him in.
“I feel like now I’m getting a bit of momentum now that I’m out of training, getting my name out there a bit more,” he said.
“I’m meeting a lot of brilliant people and connecting with a lot of amazing actors, so I think I’m slowly getting to where I want to be.”
In the meantime, Lauchie still has plenty of work ahead of him with his degree, but he couldn’t be more happy with his place in the world.
“I only moved (to Ocean Grove) officially in March 2025, and it’s beautiful,” he said.
“The beach is a two-minute walk away, I love the shops, I love the people. I’ve moved my study online…and Deakin offers great online access, it’s very flexible.
“I’m excited about what I’m doing and the future of what I’ll be doing…I know how challenging (the performing arts industry) is, but when you know, you know.”
Lauchie Mant performs in Mamma Mia at The National Theatre from February 7 to March 8. Visit booktickets.com.au/mammamia for tickets and more information.
