Akari Komoto, a graduate of St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, has landed the role of Music Associate on Disney’s Australian production of The Lion King, currently playing at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney.
It is the kind of career milestone that tends to feel both earned and surprising at once, but for those who watched Akari move through St Margaret’s music programme between 2017 and 2021, the trajectory makes complete sense. She arrived at school not particularly fond of musical theatre. She left bound for one of the most celebrated stage productions in the world.
A teacher’s suggestion that changed everything
Akari credits a pivotal conversation in her final year of school for setting her on the path to musical directing. Her music teacher, Mr Ng, suggested she look into the field, a career direction she had never previously considered. After researching it herself, she realised musical directing combined everything she loved about music into a viable profession.
Before that conversation, her school years had already been building something. Akari performed in three St Margaret’s school productions, and by her own account, the experience transformed her relationship with musical theatre entirely.
“The school musicals were life-changing experiences,” Akari said. “I didn’t really like musical theatre at first, but I had the chance to play in three school productions, and with each one, I felt my love for the art form grow more and more. In the end, I went from disliking musical theatre to wanting to live and breathe it, and that’s when I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career.”
From Ascot, Akari went on to study at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), graduating with a Bachelor of Music Honours in Composition and Sonic Arts, before landing her role on The Lion King.
Sitting in the pit at the Capitol Theatre
The Music Associate role places Akari directly inside the production’s musical operation, and her first show as Keyboard 1 in front of a live audience was an experience she has described in vivid terms.
“It’s such a surreal and overwhelming feeling being part of this show,” Akari said. “From the very first note of ‘Circle of Life’, you can feel the audience shift as they’re taken back to the film and their childhood.”
“A moment that made it feel real was playing my first show as Keyboard 1 in front of an audience. I don’t think I’ve been that nervous in a long time — my arms and legs were shaking during the first song but by halfway through Act 1 I started to relax and really felt present with the rest of the band and cast. That was the moment when it really hit me.”
The production she is now part of has reached more than 124 million people worldwide across its decades-long run. The Australian season brings the full scale of that production to the Capitol Theatre, with the visual artistry, costume design and live musicianship that have made it one of the most recognised stage shows in history.
The show’s themes land differently from inside the pit
Working on The Lion King has given Akari an unexpected personal resonance with the story she helps tell every night.
“In the short time I’ve been working on the show, it has made me more aware and prouder of my Japanese heritage,” she said. “That idea of understanding who we are because of the people who came before us is such a powerful message that should be constantly retold, and it’s something that resonates with me. To be able to play even a small part in sharing that legacy story with so many people is incredibly special and something I’m so grateful to be a part of.”
That reflection extends to how she thinks about the arts more broadly, and about the role that school communities play in shaping what young people believe is possible.
“The arts is truly a unique and powerful community,” Akari said. “It’s provided me with a sense of purpose and direction. It also fosters empathy and understanding in a world that should strive more towards those qualities.”
Experience the production live
Disney’s The Lion King is currently in a strictly limited season at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. The production runs approximately two hours and thirty minutes including a 20-minute interval and is recommended for ages six and up. Accessible performances including Auslan-interpreted, audio-described and relaxed sessions are available during August.
Tickets and session information are available here.
Published 25-June-2026
