Student Successes

Mark, an enthusiastic and talented student at several of our summer schools, auditioned successfully for entry into the music theatre course at Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and began his 3 year course in February 2009. The Board congratulate Mark on this marvelous achievement (students are not often accepted into this course straight from school) – a tribute to Mark’s skills in all three genre in music theatre - dancing, singing and acting and we wish him every success with his studies. When Board members saw Mark in June/July 2009 he reported he was enjoying the course and was greatly impressed with the level of talent when he first met his fellow students.

CATS

Attending the wonderful production of Cats at the Civic Theatre in Auckland in June was a special thrill for Board members, not only because it was so expertly directed by our 2009 Performance Director, Grant Meese and musically directed by the outstanding Penny Dodd, but also because it featured performances by so many of our talented students. Senior School students, May Lee Allan, Chris Blackburn, Melissa Nordhaus, Sarah Kent and summer school students, Cassandra McCowan, Nicholas Tredrea and Tom Webster…… Well done to you all! You were a delight to watch.

CLEMENTINE MILLS, JOHNNY LIGHT, HANNAH GRACE LEE and RYAN BENNETT

These dedicated students (all of whom were part of our inaugural Senior School in January 2009 and several of whom were graduates of our summer school programme) travelled to Melbourne in July 2009 to audition for the up-coming professional season of Spring Awakenings. This was their first professional show audition for all these students and a very big step for these young and talented students. The audition was run as a ‘cattle call’  with many hopefuls simply lining up hoping for an opportunity to impress the casting panel when they reached the top of the queue, having chosen their audition pieces themselves.

Warm congratulations go to all these young performers and in particular to Ryan Bennett who made it through several stages of the audition process over the course of the week of auditions. Although Ryan was not chosen for the final casting session to be held in Sydney later, he did very well indeed to have reached the penultimate stage of the casting process, working towards the part of the lead male character, Melchior. He has told us he learnt an enormous amount through the experience and is very happy to have reached that stage in his first professional audition. 

TOM WEBSTER

The Board are delighted Tom Webster, another talented student of all our summer school programmes,  has been cast as a ‘workhouse boy’ and one of Fagan’s gang in the Auckland Theatre Company production of Oliver!. We wish him a very enjoyable season.

MELISSA NORDHAUS

Congratulations to Melissa for attaining the professional role of Kim in New Plymouth’s production of Miss Saigon.

LLIAM POWELL

Lliam Powell has had the recurring role of Numerius in the made for American TV series of Spartacus, filmed in New Zealand by Pacific Renaissance.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

Congratulations must go to Clementine Mills, Andrew Paterson, Allie Birchfield, Kate Riegel, Brooke Norton, Joel Walsham and Meg Riegel who starred in the recent outstanding production Anne of green Gables

I REFUSE TO TAKE PART IN THE RECESSION

Board members recently attended this great show – consisting of a rock band playing an original number and a classic rock number, a most unusual and brilliantly conceived dance piece, other great dance numbers, drama monologues, duets and group pieces and songs sung solo and in groups, all loosely connected to the theme ‘Recession’ – produced and directed by Senior School students, Hannah Grace Lee and Andrew Paterson. It was a tribute to their hard work and their talented cast, including CCMT students, Lliam Powell, Clemmie Mills, Kate Riegel, Allie Birchfield, Nicola Rundle, Rebecca Diaz, Tom Webster, Ryan Bennett, Hannah Claydon, Graham Candy.  The show went very smoothly and was most professionally produced. Well done directors and cast – it makes us all proud to see you produce such professional work.