The 2025 Charter Women’s Award winner Emma Exley couldn’t ignore destiny. So she shifted from studying political science at the University of Toronto to treading the boards in the musical theatre program at Sheridan College.
Exley was a first-year student at University of Toronto’s Trinity College living on her own for the first time. “I got to take all the classes I don’t get to take now,” she said. She thought she could feed her love of theatre as an auxiliary activity. So when the Trinity Dramatic Society decided to mount Carrie the Musical, she auditioned, hoping to get a supporting role. Then she landed the lead. “When we started rehearsals, I found I was focusing on the musical, while still getting good grades. In conversations with my mom, I told her, ‘I really miss theatre!’ And she encouraged me to return to my first love.” In fact, Exley says her parents are not only supportive, but both are also musical. “It’s lovely to have their support. My dad was in many bands. And mom is a singer who was in every choir. When I was in utero, my mom was in a recording studio.”
Exley was born in Wayne, Pennsylvania to a Canadian father and American mother. When she was four years old, the family moved to Forest, Ontario where her father had a position running a camp. Two years later, they moved to London, Ontario. She first
began singing in a church choir. “I did all the church plays which mom directed – loved playing Mary or the Northern
Star,” she said. “Dad, who was now a United Church minister, would do the sermon then pick up and strum his guitar.”
Exley completed her first six grades at a regular public school before transferring to Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts. “In our final year (Grade 8), we got to do one Shakespeare show. For me it was King Lear. No one had expressed interest in playing the villain, Edmund. So I thought, I’m going to go for Edmund. Most parts were double cast, but not mine, so I got to play Edmund every single night.” This led to a love of the Bard’s works. “We broke down the language, from Shakespearean language to modern English. Shakespeare’s the OG!”
In addition to learning stage combat, Exley also learned the benefits of improvisation. “There is one moment where Edmund is telling his brother he had to run away. He sends his brother off then cuts himself with his sword, but I had forgotten my sword. How do I improv Shakespeare?”
Through exercises such as ‘gladiating’, Exley says her improvisation skills have improved. “I’ve learned the beauty of following impulses on stage,” she said. “In gladiating, we pick a line from an acting through line piece. Then you say a piece of text, over and over, until it evolves into something new, allowing yourself to improvise.”
“Sheridan was a dream for a while when I was a kid,” Exley said.
After completing high school at London’s H.B. Beal Secondary School, which had a musical theatre program in grades 11 and 12, the world was just coming out of the chaos of CoVID. “I had convinced myself I need a real degree,” Exley said. “And I got into my safety school. One of my other passions is political activism. I thought I’ll do theatre on the side while studying political science.”
But musical theatre was always pulling at her. “Sheridan was a dream for a while when I was a kid,” she said. “I did High School Project at the Grand Theatre. And they took us to Sheridan, where we got to do a few classes. So after my first year at Trinity, I realized I need to go there, that’s where my people will be.”
Exley is entering her third year. She explained students choose one of three streams – writing, artistic, or pop. She intends to select the artistic stream, which includes directing, choreography or music directing. “I’m leaning toward directing because it’s looking at theatre from all different aspects,” she said.
“Working with children is great – they see things we don’t see. The goal is to create a vision collaboratively – everyone brings something to the table. And it forces you to be completely in the moment.”
Exley had her first taste of directing last summer while working at Camp OK! Original Kids summer theatre camp in London, Ontario. “We’re taking popular movies or musicals and so I’ve directed Wicked as if there were no leads – so we have many Elphabas and Glindas,” she said. “Working with children is great – they see things we don’t see. The goal is to create a vision collaboratively – everyone brings something to the table. And it forces you to be completely in the moment.”
When she returns to Sheridan in the fall of 2025, she looks forward to building on what she learned during her first two years of study as she begins her artistic stream projects. “Me and my roommate, Zoe Gagnon, who is a choreographer, have a handshake agreement to work together.”
As for her dream roles, Exley chose Alice in Alice by Heart, an intimate 2012 musical inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, written by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. She would also love to reprise the role of Alice Murphy in Bright Star, a 2014 musical set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.
Exley’s role models include American musical theatre star Philippa Soo – “her voice is the most gorgeous thing I’ve heard, especially in her role as Amelie, with an innate playfulness” and Broadway star Sutton Foster – “to sit on a couch with her to hear all her
stories would be fascinating.”
(Emma Exley as Alice Murphy in Bright Star,
photo credit: Original Kids Theatre Company)