´óÏó´«Ã½

Bronte Barbe, age 18, from Cheshire

Like Dorothy, Bronte is a small-town girl determined to make her own way in life. Bronte lives with her mum and sister, and pet dog William, in Cheshire. Her aunt has always been a big support for Bronte because she was trained in classical singing and always encouraged her to follow her dreams. She used to sing songs from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and idolised Truly Scrumptious.

Bronte has been volunteering as an assistant drama teacher at her old drama school for a few years, and in summer 2009 she had a lead role in Youth Music Theatre's UK production of A Winter's Tale which was performed at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford. Through this she gained her Grade 8 Group Musical Theatre with Distinction.

She describes herself as "small, over-excited, wacky, a perfectionist, determined, hardworking, loyal, honest and friendly" – and she learnt to speak fluent Welsh in eight weeks when she was seven!

Tasheka Coe, age 28, from the West Midlands

Tasheka is a real family girl: as well as her parents and three siblings, she lives with her husband and 21-month-old twin children.

She started singing at the age of 14 – probably following in the footsteps of her dad, who was in a reggae band which toured Europe and ran his own record studio. She's a raw talent – never having formal vocal training, but picking up technique along the way through amateur performances and productions.

Since the age of 16 she has performed in a variety of musicals and several smaller concerts at various venues across Wolverhampton, including the Grand Theatre, which holds a capacity of 1,200 people.

At 19 she was part of a girl band called Mosaic, who nearly signed a record deal with RCA Records. Although she hasn't had any formal acting training, Tasheka has appeared in multiple productions and attended various dance schools since the age of four.

Getting the part of Dorothy would begin a whole new wonderful chapter in Tasheka's life: she would bring fun to the role, making Dorothy a current, likeable, enthusiastic, kind-hearted daydreamer.

Stephanie Davies, age 17, from Merseyside

Liverpool girl Stephanie lives with her parents and two younger brothers – she thinks her family are like the Von Trapps!

She has appeared on numerous TV shows including Doctors, Holby City, Parents Of The Band and The Outsiders, as well as numerous commercials, but her ultimate dream is to be a West End star.

She started singing at the age of six, and describes her voice as versatile. She has enjoyed several lead roles, in productions of Annie, as Gretel in The Sound Of Music, Anna in Santa Claus The Musical, and Little Nell in Her Benny, all at the Liverpool Empire Theatre.

One of Stephanie's biggest regrets was not paying more attention in maths at school... she was far too busy tapping her feet under the desk, and was once even so overcome with the urge to get up and sing at school – she did just that! She performed an impromptu rendition of Girls Just Want To Have Fun in the middle of English class. She thinks this vibrancy will lend itself well to the role of Dorothy.

Amy Diamond, age 22, from Cheshire

Amy's journey down the yellow brick road started when she was six years old, when she sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow to her music teacher, and discovered her ability to sing.

She had lessons at college to further develop her voice, and took acting and dancing classes to become more of an all-rounder. She has danced on cruise ships, enjoyed a successful modelling career (including work for The Sun and Nuts), and sang for a production company that has toured the world – she has visited China, America and Canada, but she's always doing lots of auditions trying to make her big break. She also had a small part in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ One series Hustle.

Amy is very close to her family, and loves visiting them and their one-year-old puppy called Teddy Pom Poms.

Jenny Douglas, age 18, from Scotland

Jenny has always loved to sing, but discovered she had a distinct voice at the age of around six or seven.

She is currently halfway through her first year of acting classes and her first year of vocal training at college, following the Estill Voice Training Programme. She once had a singing lesson in New York with David Schaefer, and says: "It was amazing, I discovered more about my voice in one hour than in my whole time of singing".

She performed in the travelling Keith Jack Tour, and also attended the Scottish Theatre and Music School. She aspires to be the kind of Dorothy who knows her own mind and isn't afraid to speak out. She would bring "100% individuality to the role".

Jenny is an only child and lives with her mum in Edinburgh, and she returns there every weekend from the halls of residence she lives in. Her father once sang on stage with Stevie Wonder.

Tegan Edwards, age 17, from Norfolk

Tegan says her mum tells her often that she sang when she was a baby, but it was from the age of six, when she joined the school choir, that her real passion for singing began to develop.

She played an orphan in a Norfolk Youth Music Theatre production of Annie when she was eight, and played Annie Cooper in a production of The Ragged Child the following year – and she hasn't stopped since! She has a distinction at Grade 8 in Musical Theatre singing.

Tegan says she would be a totally unique Dorothy – totally Tegan-esque! The signature song Over The Rainbow means a lot to Tegan, as she sang it at her audition for her drama school, and she says that was the point at which she really started to feel that this was what she was good at.

She says she would bring freshness, youth, empathy and cheekiness to Dorothy. As much as she loves being a Norfolk girl at heart, there was a time when she really wanted to get away from everything and discover the world, so she understands the burning desire that Dorothy feels to escape the farm in Kansas.

Sophie Evans, age 17, from Wales

Sophie started singing as soon as she could speak. Music is in her family – she gets her ability to sing from her mother, who she lives with in Wales along with her father and younger sister and pet dog.

She had a few singing lessons while at school with a singing tutor, and once featured in a Joshua Foundation Show at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff where she learnt various new singing techniques. She once sang at a wedding, and appeared briefly on the 2008 series of The X Factor, making it through to the Boot Camp stage.

One of the women she most admires is Over The Rainbow's very own Charlotte Church. She applied for this competition because of her love of singing and she thinks it'll be a great experience for her: she doesn't feel that she's really had to face anything tough in life yet.

Steph Fearon, age 21, from London

Performing is in Steph's blood – in fact she says she started singing in the womb! Her mother is Baby D who had a hit with 90s sensation Let Me Be Your Fantasy, and her dad was in an 80s band called Galaxy – and she says that she's learned an amazing work ethic from her hard-working parents. They show her amazing support as she makes her way into the industry. She has two sisters and a brother, and is half Jamaican and half Maltese.

She has performed in front of audiences in college productions of Rent and A Midsummer Night's Dream and professional productions of Whistle Down The Wind, Wind In The Willows and Little Shop Of Horrors. She has also appeared on TV with parts in Channel 4's teen drama As If, CITV's My Parents Are Aliens, and Casualty on two occasions.

Steph couldn't pass the opportunity of auditioning for Dorothy after being a massive fan of previous series. She says she would be a streetwise Dorothy, and would balance her attitude with her vulnerability.

Emilie Fleming, age 19, from Tyne & Wear

Emilie had a taste of life on the West End stage when she was 14 – as part of the chorus for the 20th anniversary production of Les Miserables – and she absolutely loved it!

Emilie lives with her parents and younger sister, and has been living in the same house all her life. Her family are a great support to her, but she freely admits that she's probably a bit naive for her age, and hasn't experienced much of life – except through her performing. She started singing lessons at the age of 10, but she's been singing all of her life – it's one of her great passions.

Emilie has successfully taken Grade 5 Music Theory, Grade 8 Musical Theatre and Grade 8 Classical Singing, and most recently received a Music Theatre Diploma ALCM. She has performed in many theatres and concert halls for various concerts. Her biggest performance to date was the Official Opening of The Sage at Gateshead for Her Majesty the Queen.

Claire Harbourne, age 18, from Lancashire

Claire lives with her mum, dad and brother. She has been singing from a young age and first started lessons at age 11.

She's classically trained and especially enjoys singing musical theatre, as well as pop and jazz. She passed both LCM Musical Theatre Grade 8 and ABRSM Singing Grade 7 with distinction, and off the back of attending the Eton Choral Course she sings with the Halle Youth Choir. She has also attended the Limelight musical theatre summer school for the past four years. She is currently studying for her A2 levels in Latin, English Lit and History, but her dream is to appear in a West End show, and to be as famous as artists such as Judy Garland or Beyonce.

She hopes her Dorothy would be young, energetic, edgy yet open and honest. She thinks she could bring a certain realism to the role, and thinks she is on a similar adventure to Dorothy, "going from the bubble or safe, quiet village home-life to a bigger wider world, finding out who I am and what I am capable of achieving and meeting lots of interesting people along the way".

Claire Hillier, age 25, from Wales

Edgy with attitude, Claire is determined to make the role of Dorothy her own. Claire's mum, dad and sister live in Wales, but Claire lives with her husband Phil in London. They married in 2001 and have been together since they were teenagers – and they have two Bichon Frise dogs which Claire calls her babies.

This isn't Claire's first taste of the television limelight – she was a finalist on the 2005 series of Britain's Next Top Model, and reached the final 50 stage of Popstars in 2000, but says it's not all about fame – it's about being a success and being recognised for something she is good at.

She claims she's got what it takes to be Dorothy because she's "quirky and a little bit strange, definitely a raw talent" and that "she deserves a break".

Katie Honan, age 19, from the Republic of Ireland

Katie started singing at the age of 12 when she joined her local church and school choir – that was where her love of singing really began. Her family are very supportive of her and both her parents and one of her three sisters work in theatres as directors, stage managers and production managers. She loves her family dearly and suffered with homesickness when she first left home to attend college in Dublin aged 17.

Katie's first musical theatre job was in Bugsy Malone when she was 13, although she began acting with the Little Red Kettle Theatre Company in both Dublin and Japan at the age of eight.

Katie thinks she can bring a "truthful innocence" to the role of Dorothy, as she feels she shares both her strong sense of home and her curiosity of life out in the big wide world.

Danielle Hope, age 17 (18 in April), from Greater Manchester

Danielle is a full-time student in Knutsford, and recently quit her part-time job as a waitress to focus on her studies and her dream of becoming a renowned entertainer and Broadway performer.

Danielle's family are very large and spread out, but are very supportive of her. They try to remain realistic about her career choices as she gets into the notoriously difficult show-business industry, but they're always there to cheer her on – especially her Nanna.

Her big passion is drama, but she has danced in front of large audiences at local dance festivals, including ´óÏó´«Ã½ African Dance Project at Bridgewater Hall, and the Dance House Annual Cheshire Platform. Danielle takes dance classes at least six times a week to hone her skills. Her Dorothy would be a "fiery character, with a strong opinion and mind".

Camille Mesnard, age 21, from Marseille (now living in Merseyside)

Camille is French, but moved to England three years ago to attend musical theatre college in Liverpool for the sole purpose of becoming a West End star. Camille's family live in France and she misses them, although she is excited to be able to take part in such an opportunity to realise a lifelong dream.

She has been working in a burger restaurant and as a French tutor to pay bills and keep herself from being bored (she hates being bored!) while she undergoes her three-year Musical Theatre course at the Liverpool Theatre School.

She would approach Dorothy "like an actress", adding a lot of her own character into the role, making her "bubbly, adventurous but also focused and serious. She would also be clever... full of energy and joy".

Sarah Middleton, age 21, from the East Midlands

Sarah comes from a musical family – her mum teaches the recorder and teaches singing at their local theatre school, her brother plays the violin at weddings and parties as part of a string quartet, her aunt has performed as a concert pianist and her grandma was a member of their local church choir. Her mum says that Sarah started singing as a toddler when she would sit in the trolley at the local supermarket!

Sarah is currently in her second year of acting training at BSA, and she has also trained with Youth Music Theatre and the National Youth Theatre. Professionally, she played Perdita in A Winter's Tale with a Shakespeare company based in Derby.

She is at the stage where she has enough enthusiasm and creativity to update an iconic role like Dorothy and make it truly interesting – to make the audience as surprised by Dorothy as they are by Oz.

Philippa O'Hara, age 23, from Belfast

Philippa lives with her mum, dad, sister and Oscar the cat in Belfast, and has always lived in the same house. Her family are very supportive of her, and she came to the first auditions for Over The Rainbow with her sister Jolene, who didn't get through the first round.

Philippa has clearly always loved to sing – most of her childhood photographs are of her holding a microphone and putting on a show. She is currently taking Musical Theatre lessons with Ashley Fulton, focusing on the performance rather than intense vocal training, but she always keeps up with her basic vocal exercises.

Philippa has a drama degree following a two-year Performing Arts course at BIFHE and a year at Queen's University in Belfast. She took part in two talent contests in Belfast – The F Factor and The U Factor for the Sunday World and Michael Magill Entertainment. She also attended a two-week summer school at Mountview, and has performed at various venues back home, including The Grand Opera House, although she has no professional experience.

Dani Rayner, age 16, from Cheshire

The youngest of the hopeful Dorothys, Dani's greatest achievement so far in her life was being asked to sing On My Own from Les Miserables to an audience of over 2,000 at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester as part of a school prize-giving.

Danielle's mum says she has always been able to sing in tune – ever since she was tiny – and she has sung in front of an audience on a few occasions. She even once played the role of Dorothy in a professional local production in Chester, as well as Eponine in Les Miserables, Penny in Hairspray and Anne in The Diary Of Anne Frank. She was a member of Stagecoach Theatre Arts and a member of the National Youth Music Theatre in 2008-09. She also won a local radio competition in 2007 and was named "Cheshire's Next Singing Sensation".

She feels that she would be a very 'current' Dorothy as a young person in the modern world.

Jessica Robinson, age 18, from Middlesbrough

Jessica and her family – mum, dad, brother and pet dog – have lived in Middlesbrough for most of Jessica's life, and she's proud of her home town. She wants to prove to people that there is talent in Middlesbrough!

She started singing at the age of six, and had vocal lessons to work towards her exams from that age. She was part of the Middlesbrough Youth Theatre company from a young age, and they put on many musical productions which gave Jessica an interest in performing. In 2008 she was a finalist at the 'Miss Dance' competition at Blackpool Winter Gardens.

She says singing in front of Andrew Lloyd-Webber at her audition was the best thing that has happened to her in her entire life. It was "totally life changing".

Lauren Samuels, age 22, from London

Lauren started singing lessons at the age of 13, although she started private LAMDA tutorials at the Hinkley Speech and Drama Studio at the age of seven and began her ballet classes at the age of two!

When Lauren was born she had a condition which meant she had to wear two hearing aids. She stunned doctors at the age of 18, however, when her hearing came back to a normal capacity.

She believes that Dorothy has a lot of nerve and guts which she says she has – she wants to be a funny Dorothy, with lots of spark. She would also love to put all her training into action in the role. She feels that she is as impulsive as Dorothy is, and that like her, she is constantly striving for bigger and better things.

Emma Warren, age 20, from Dublin

Emma is an Irish dancing queen – she is the Dublin Champion in Ireland, and is ranked sixth in the world. She started Irish dancing when she was three years old, and then started singing lessons at the age of six to broaden her talents. She took part in a US tour with a traditional Irish cabaret tour and even got a chance to sing with Richard Carpenter in a special rendition of Top Of The World.

She is currently studying music at the Dublin Institute of Technology, as well as performing at a local pub doing Irish dance routines for tourists, and she absolutely loves it.

Emma says her Dorothy would be a "determined but likeable character", and that she would combine powerful performances with a gentle touch and lots of charm.