Shorty actor Theo 'I'M LIVING MY HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL DREAM!

The former rugby player's gone from All Black hopeful to a soap star and wannabe Oscar winner

- Elisabeth Easther

When Shortland Street actor Theo David was a youngster, he was just a regular South Auckland kid. “At five, I had luscious locks, I loved tomato sauce on rice still do! - and I was a huge fan of wrestling," the actor recalls.

Theo was also very good at rugby and while playing for his Mangere primary, he was spotted by scouts from one of the country's most prestigious high schools, Saint Kentigern College, which later offered him a full sporting scholarship.

“They gave me this pitch about the great pantheon of rugby players who'd come through St Kent's and I knew it was the school for me," tells Theo, who dreamed of travelling the world with the All Blacks, or playing in France or Japan.

Despite some jibes from his schoolmates, Theo embraced all the school had to offer not just sport. In Year 10, he auditioned for the musical Rockin' Robin and got the part ' of Little John.

"The drama department knew I was on a rugby scholarship and still had to train, but the coach didn't realise I was doing the production, so I had to fib to go to rehearsals - it was just like High School Musical!