Teachers
All the tutors at Toi Whakaari are also practising professionals. All have worked extensively in theatre, film and television both nationally and internationally and bring this experience to bear in their teaching.
Below is a list of the Heads of departments at Toi Whakaari:
- Annie Ruth (Director)
- Kate Robertson
- Christian Penny
- Jonathon Hendry
- Penny Fitt
- Kaarin Macaulay
- Christine Richardson
Annie Ruth
Director and Acting Tutor
Annie has been Director of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School since 1997. She is also a professional director and actor, her solo show Dissident Voices, was performed at BATS Wellington and in Italy and the USA. Annie’s areas of specialist experience are Improvisation and ‘Viewpoints’ acting methodology, which she has developed through work with Keith Johnstone, Anne Bogart and Tina Landau, as well as with international practitioners at LaMaMa, Italy. This experience forms the basis for her current PhD research. She has taught in top drama schools and international Masterclasses in Europe and USA.
In 2009 Annie worked for UNESCO International Theatre Institute in Romania and Germany, devised a work, Tapu Toru, to take to the Shanghai UNESCO ITI Festival and was funded by CNZ to do an exploratory workshop that included the dancer and choreographer, Michael Parmenter. Annie teaches acting, improvisation and directing at Toi Whakaari. This year she is directing Marat/Sade for the School, opening in August.
Christian Penny
Associate Director and Head of Directing
A former student of Philippe Gaulier, Christian is recognised as one of this country's boldest theatre directors. A cofounder of Theatre at Large, Christian's major professional productions include: King Lear, Cyrano de Bergerac, and new NZ work Manawa Taua/Savage Hearts, The Butcher's Wife, the national and international tour of Woman Far Walking and Hamlet with Michael Hurst. In 2004 Christian worked with other Toi Whakaari tutors and students to create Penumbra –which was part of the Auckland Arts Festival in 2007. In 2008 he directed a major new New Zealand Opera at the 2008 NZ International Festival of the Arts, The Trial of the Cannibal Dog an adaptation of Anne Salmond’s award winning History of the Journeys of Captain James Cook in the Pacific. Last year Christian was a participant of the Leadership New Zealand programme and directed the 2009 graduation production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle.
All tutors at Toi Whakaari participate in mentoring and guidance of students on the Directing course and click here for a list of directing staff at Victoria University.
Jonathon Hendry
Associate Director and Head of Acting
Jonathon is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. After periods on the Trust Board,Board of Studies and as a guest tutor he joined the staff of Toi Whakaari in July 2007. Now an Associate Director and Head of Acting, he established himself as an award winning actor before directing with ATC, Silo, Downstage, Circa, Centrepoint and BATS. He was Head of Acting at UNITEC 2004 - 2007 and has also taught at Massey and Victoria Universities, Wellington Conservatorium of Music, NZ College of Performing Arts and Wellington Performing Arts College (WPAC).
Jonathon is also an artistic fellow of Shakespeare’s Globe London. He has played many Shakespeare roles including Richard III, Macbeth, Iago, Jaques and Malvolio. Jonathon has taught Shakespeare workshops to students, teachers and professional actors around New Zealand. In 2007 he directed Dave Armstrong’s The Tutor for Auckland Theatre Company, which was followed by a national tour where he took over the role of Sellars. He also directed Othello for Downstage and The Cut at Silo. He collaborated with Dean Parker on the highly successful The Hollow Men, which premiered at BATS and then toured to Centrepoint, Circa and the Maidment theatre Auckland.
Jonathon has worked as an actor, script advisor and director in a many script development processes. He serves on the Trust Boards of the National Youth Drama School and Downstage Theatre.
For more acting tutors click here.
Kate Robertson
Head of Entertainment Technology & Performing Arts Management
Kate completed the Diploma of Professional Drama (Technical Production)
at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 1997. Since then she has worked at BATS Theatre and Downstage Theatre in business, production and facilities management roles. She returned to Toi Whakaari in 2007 to work as the Production Coordinator, a relatively new role in the School. She was appointed to the position of Head of Department (Entertainment Technology and Performing Arts Management) in 2008.
For more entertainment technology and performing arts management tutors click here.
Penny Fitt
Head of Design
Penny moved to NZ from Britain, where she was Head of Design at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She has worked as a professional freelance designer since 1991 and has designed more than 50 theatre, dance and opera works, including work for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company, the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster, the Almeida Theatre, London and the English National Opera. She was Head of Design at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, Manchester for three years. Penny is a practising designer focusing on the collaborative processes involved in making new work. She designed Penumbra, an epic New Zealand story commissioned as the New Zealand theatre piece for the Auckland Festival 2007. It was performed in Skycity Theatre and directed by Jade Eriksen and Christian Penny. In 2008 she designed the set for the world premiere of The Trial of the Cannibal Dog, a New Zealand opera for the 2008 New Zealand International Arts Festival .
For more design tutors click here.
Kaarin Macaulay
Head of Costume Construction
After completing a BA in Communications (Theatre/Media) at Charles Sturt University in Australia, Kaarin embarked on a freelance career as a Costumier which saw her working across Australia for resident theatre companies, big-budget musicals, and small project-based groups. In 1997 Kaarin accepted a full-time position with Opera Australia, where she had the opportunity to collaborate with local and international designers, creating costumes for the vast repertoire of Australia's national opera company. She moved to New Zealand in 2005 and developed the Costume Construction course at Toi Whakaari with the support of Bill Guest and Penny Fitt.
Christine Richardson
Business and Fundraising Manager
Christine leads the team of support staff in the areas of Finance, Marketing and Administration. Her career has taken her into a wide range of work opportunities, including roles ranging from Policy Analyst with the Ministry of Research Science and Technology, Information and Finance Manager with Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, and General Manager of Te Whaea Services. She has a BSc in Human Sciences and is a qualified lawyer. She has lived in New Zealand for over 30 years and is involved in a number of community activities outside work including co-producing a documentary film. She has worked at Te Whaea since 2001, taking a year out to volunteer on two educational projects in Tanzania in 2009.
For more operations and support staff, click here.
Visiting Tutors
Toi Whakaari also has regular guest teachers in acting for stage and screen, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, voice, singing, yoga, Laban, script writing, text analysis, combat choreography, mask, percussion, improvisation, contracts and tax, camera work, radio voice, Mana Wahine, history, theory and philosophy of theatre, dance and Taha Maori.
