The very talented Marcelle Schmitz has been appointed Director of the January 2012 Emerging Talent school in Auckland.  Currently with two productions touring on both sides of Australia, Marcelle directs plays, musicals and opera and is one of Australia's most highly regarded acting teachers. She regularly tutors and directs at WAAPA (Perth), the Australian Academy of Dramatic Arts (Sydney) the Australian Opera Studio, and also the Conservatorium of Classical Music Vocal Studies post graduate courses. She is a graduate of the NIDA acting course, and has since returned there to teach, and to direct Uncle Vanya.

Marcelle will bring her passion for educating and extending performers to a new format for CCMT in 2012. Our 2011 students attest to her skills – feedback regarding her work impacted the Board’s decision to appoint Marcelle and progress a shared vision for the further development of the CCMT programmes.

Go to 2012 Summer School Tab to register

Since graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Tyran Parke’s professional credits include The Sound of Music, Assassins, Oliver! (Australia and Asia), Eurobeat, Into the Woods, Rosie, Listen to My Heart, Nostradamus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Putting it Together, Sunset Blvd, Madame De, The Hatpin, Angels in America, Funny Girl, Jekyll and Hyde, Mack and Mabel, South Pacific, In a Pink Tutu and his award winning portrayal of George in Stephen Sondheim’s, Sunday in the Park with George.

Tyran trained at the Yale Cabaret Conference and ran Sydney’s premiere cabaret venue, Statement Cabaret, for three years. His own shows have been seen all over Australia, his most recent, A Little Knight Music toured nationally before playing an acclaimed season in New York.

Aside from his busy performance schedule, Tyran has earned a reputation as being one of Sydney’s most accomplished teachers of singing and acting.
He began teaching in Newcastle at the Young People’s Theatre where he worked in speech and drama for five years. He is currently a regular teacher at NIDA for both Youth and Adult courses and the Australian Institute of Music (AIM). He also works as a NIDA representative in schools creating workshops and assisting drama teachers.

Tyran has created courses for NIDA and the Department of Education including Cabaret Intensives, Musical Theatre, Audition Techniques, Ensemble Performance and Song and Dance. He has developed workshops for NIDA’s touring program which he has taken all over the country and recently taught at WAAPA and the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music as well as the CCMT summer program in Auckland. He is currently on staff in the Graduate program at NIDA.

CCMT are delighted to announce that one of New Zealand’s most respected contemporary dancers and choreographers will be a dance tutor for the Emerging Talent School in January 2012.

Mary Jane O’Reilly has had an international career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer spanning twenty five years, including being the co-founder of Limbs Dance Company, choreographer for the 1990 Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, the 2000 Millennium Dawn event and recently as the Artistic Director of Tempo, New Zealand’s Festival of Dance. She is the recipient of numerous awards such as the Allen Highet Award (for outstanding achievement) and a Queens Service Medal in 1990 for her services to dance.

Head of NASDA and a Principal Lecturer at CPIT, Richard is in demand as a musical director and is also an accomplished pianist, arranger and composer. His degree is from Victoria University of Wellington and he has also gained his Licentiate from the Royal Schools of Music.

Well-known for his work in music throughout the country, Richard is also a sought-after teacher and vocal coach.  He has lectured at the Christchurch Jazz School, conducted and arranged for Christchurch Symphony, Wellington Sinfonia, Showbiz Christchurch, The Court Theatre, Wellington Musical Theatre, ARTCO, Dunedin Operatic, Canterbury Music Theatre, Invercargill Musical Theatre, The Orpheus Choir and the Choral Federation.  Several of his orchestrations have been recorded with the NZSO and he has a busy schedule working as producer and arranger on a number of recording projects.

Richard also regularly appears as musical director and arranger for the popular ASB Starry Nights, staged in Hagley Park with Christchurch Symphony as part of the city's Summertimes programme, and in cabaret.  In 2009 and 2011 he was director of the Musical Theatre programme at the NZ National Singing School in Napier.

Glen is an Actor, Director & Acting Tutor who works across the youth and adult performance worlds, as well as the corporate world, graduating from Unitec with a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts, majoring in Acting. As an actor Glen, has performed in theatre and television, working with leading theatre companies such as Auckland’s Theatre Company and The Silo Theatre.

In 2007, Glen began his directing career, having previously been the Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre Company. This role has seen Glen work with over 500 children every year, including overseeing training programmes, directing two main stage productions, as well as tutoring and overseeing NYTC’s holiday programmes.

Glen works with Australasia’s top executive training programme, Accelerated Executive Pressence, as the presentation and expression coach. Within his corporate experience he has worked on a broad range of projects including developmental programme’s through to promotion assessment. 

Adding to our wonderful mix of Tutors for CCMT in January, NASDA graduate Michael Lee Porter will be encouraging your vocal chords to hit new highs!  An actor, musical director and musician, Michael has had enormous experience in touring in musical theatre, within New Zealand and overseas, including the two year Australasian tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” 

CCMT can now announce that they have been able to secure the services of Leona Lenore Robinson, who will be joining the Tutor Team for the January 2012 Emerging Talent School, adding to the mix of dance expertise you will be exposed to during the two week school. 

A dancer, choreographer, director, actor, teacher and mentor who has a wealth of experience in teaching children and young adults, Leona has many ex students who are now successful performers within New Zealand and internationally. Based in the Waikato, Leona judges dance nationally and has also been an American Jazz Dance examiner. Make the most of this opportunity to learn from her exceptional skill base!