Success Stories
We are proud to say that many theatre and screen luminaries in this country went to Toi Whakaari.
Nathan McKendry
Nathan graduated from the Bachelor of Performing Arts (Management) programme in 2008 and has a solid year of work ahead which includes national touring and developing his own lighting design company, he is also focused on building a solid relationship with the industry. Nathan discovered that the areas of production and stage management and lighting design excite him during his time at Toi Whakaari and looks forward to a busy year ahead.
Nathan’s projects so far include Technician / Operator for Seasons (Capital E National Tour); Head of Lighting / Operator for Kia Ora Khalid (Capital E at Wellington Opera House); Lighting Designer for Wolf’s Lair (Bats); Lighting Designer / Operator for The Mountain (Katipo Café); Lighting Designer / Operator for Christmas Indoors (Bats); Stage Manager for Unity 1918 (Toi Whakaari), Lighting Design Assistant for World of Wearable Arts (TSB Bank Arena), Production Manager for Macbeth (Toi Whakaari); Stage Manager for Strike Elemental (Napier) and Lighting Designer for Get Cuffed (Wellington Fringe 2008) .
“My time at Toi taught me that patience always helps when starting out in this industry but also that you have to drive yourself to achieve your goals. The classes that you take at Toi teach you a wide range of skills that are invaluable once you have left. I have found that my understanding of all the roles that are in a production has allowed me to work closer with these people to achieve a great result.” Nathan McKendry
Karl Jenkins
“Working for Cirque du Soleil is a dream come true, but that’s not something I take for granted. I’ve worked very hard to make this a reality and it’s only going to get harder from here on in. The challenge excites me like nothing else and I have the backing of my education and practical training to assist with my success with this company, and for that I am truly grateful."
Just months after graduating Bachelor of Performing Arts graduate, Karl Jenkins landed his dream job with one of the biggest arts spectaculars in the world – Cirque du Soleil. For more about Karl and his time at Cirque check this out.
Charlotte Gordon
“At Toi Whakaari I got to experiment with all areas of theatre. I arrived wanting to be a lighting designer but, thanks to the variety and choice on offer, I realised I wanted to be a production manager. Without Toi Whakaari's practical, hands-on training and industry connections I would not be where I am today.”
Charlotte had been a graduate for two weeks in 2006 when she got the job of Production Manager at Capital E – NZ’s National Theatre for Children. Now she is in charge of all production and technical staff working on Capital E’s Wellington shows and national tours.
While still at high school Charlotte stage managed an Auckland tour of Daylight Atheist and assistant stage managed the North Island tour of Take Me Home Mr! While at Toi Whakaari, her secondments included time in Wisconsin, USA as stage manager for the Milwaukee Rep and working for the Royal NZ Ballet. She also stage and production managed various shows for both Toi Whakaari and the New Zealand School of Dance.
Lucie Camp
After graduating in 2008 Lucie has carved herself a career in the Wellington theatre and TV industry and is currently working on Paradise Café 2 for the Gibson Group as Production Assistant. During the 2010 NZ International Arts Festival she was part of the Lighting Department Crew.
In 2009 she was Stage Manager for Capital E’s End Game and Deputy Stage Manager for the children’s opera Kia Ora Khalid, part of the Stage Management team for the World of Wearable Arts (WOW), Assistant Stage Manager for the Big Night In- Telethon, Production Assistant for the Gibson Group’s Line of Fire and Production Runner for their series Emu.
"Toi is a learning environment created by passionate theatre students who challenge each other’s thoughts, ideas and skills across all disciplines in a wide range of production areas. This kind of working and learning community enabled me to develop strong practical skills in many different technical and management areas giving me a huge understanding of the different roles involved in a production. Having current Industry professionals come in and teach opened doors to different possibilities and pushed me to achieve goals in my time there. It gave an insight and prepared me for a future in the Industry. Being flexible and able to adapt while building on skills each job you take on has been a great asset in finding a place within the Industry.”
Although 2006 was the first year that Toi Whakaari graduated performing arts managers, many of our entertainment technology, directing and acting graduates are already very successful in this area.
A selection of our successful grads includes:
- Simon Bennett - an executive producer with South Pacific Pictures (Shortland Street, Outrageous Fortune, Sione's Wedding);
- Phillipa Campbell - the producer of Rain (Director's Fortnight at Cannes Film Festival)
- Simon Phillips - the artistic director of the Melbourne Theatre Company
- James Ashcroft - the artistic director of Taki Rua
- Nicola Blackman - the ex company manager of the Royal NZ Ballet
- Karl Jenkins – Lighting team Cirque du Soliel
- Charlotte Gordon – Production Manager at Capital E National Theatre for Children
- Nathan McKendry – Freelance lighting designer for Auckland Theatre Company and
Almost A Bird Theatre Collective - Adam Walker – Part of NZ Expo 2010 team
- Manda Smith, Lucie Camp, Ellis Thorpe – touring technicians and managers on Capital E national tours
- Paul Evans - Manager Wellington Region, AVexpress & Staging Connections
- Alana Tisdall - Production & Stage Manager for Tim Bray Productions
- Kyle Potter - Production Manager, Theatre Royal, Nelson
For the most recent information about what our graduates are up to check out our Grad News.
