Acting
Celebrating Ensemble Spirit & Individual Ambition
Whether your dream is to star in Hollywood feature films, perform in classic Shakespeare plays, create new devised theatre from Aotearoa or get a job on Shortland Street, you can learn all the skills you need to follow your passion at Toi Whakaari.
The Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting) programme at Toi Whakaari is the premier acting degree in New Zealand.
Through the training at this School we assist you to hone your craft as well as your hunger to communicate. At Toi Whakaari we provide a range of challenges and skills that strengthen your craft as an actor as well as your capacity to achieve your dreams.
We aim to:
- Equip our students with the skills and mindset to enable them to forge and sustain a career in the performing arts
- Empower our students to drive the performing arts in New Zealand to another level
- Celebrate diversity in skills, teaching and ambition
- Encourage connection between performers, production team and audience
- Ignite the passion to tell the stories of Aotearoa and beyond
In 2007 the degree was awarded the prestigious NZ Screen Council ScreenMark. This is accreditation given for high quality, relevant, successful, practical tertiary level courses in the film and theatre industry. Toi Whakaari has the only acting programme in the country with such an accolade.
Check out the recall weekend in a Radio NZ National Spectrum Documentary made by acting graduate Sonia Yee broadcast just after noon on Sunday 9 November. Or download the doco at the Radio NZ website.
Successful Graduates
For 40 years Toi Whakaari has graduated some of New Zealand's most successful actors, including Cliff Curtis, Martin Csokas, Kerry Fox, Robyn Malcolm, Mark Ruka, Jacob Rajan, Rawiri Paratene, Miriama McDowell and Tim Balme.
In addition our acting graduates have gone on to be successful film producers, television directors and producers, playwrights, teachers and authors. Check out more of our success stories here.
