OUR NETWORK OF TUTORS
VERITY BURGESS
Verity is passionate about the arts and has recently relocated back to NZ after living in London for the past 10 years. Originally making the UK move after being accepted into Guildford School of Acting, she gained her Masters in Musical Theatre and continued on to the West End and international stage in shows such as Evita, CATS, West Side Story, Children of Eden and many more.
Teaching up to date, London based singing techniques used on the professional scene, she is helping pave the way for young, driven kiwis wanting to take the plunge and pursue their dreams further afield. Classically trained in singing and violin, Verity is more than familiar with the rigid foundations and discipline required in building solid technique, having also studied under singing coach - Ross Campbell, Head of Royal Academy of Music in London and well known New York Vocal Coach, Natalie Weiss. With a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz singing, she can help bring out light authentic style by listening to the true way each individual produces sound.
Verity will be working with participants of her workshop on these Vocal Techniques and sharing her knowledge of the professional industry.
JOEL HEWLETT
International performer Joel Hewlett trained extensively in performing arts at Norris Studios. Since making his professional debut over a decade ago some of his theatrical highlights include: Cats (NZ), Starlight Express (NZ Tour), Hairspray (Australian Tour), A Chorus Line (Australia/Singapore Tour), Hairspray (NZ), Jesus Christ Superstar (NZ), Cabaret Torlage (Canada), The Lovers Cabaret (Canada), Celebrity Cruises (USA/Asia), Aladdin (Australian Tour) and The Book of Mormon (Australian Tour). TV credits include: Mr&Mrs Murder (Fremantle Media), Ash vs Evil Dead (Starz Network). In-between contracts Joel enjoys sharing his industry knowledge and experience at classes/workshops throughout New Zealand. Joel is also an examiner for Asia Pacifc Dance Association and is currently studying Architecture.
Joel is going to be working with participants of the workshop on Broadway Tap. Joel will run a warmup and also be teaching an exciting routine from a show he has performed in.
NOTE: Participants of this workshop should be at an INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED LEVEL in the TAP dance style. You must bring your own Tap shoes.
JENNIFER WARD-LEALAND
Since training at Auckland’s Theatre Corporate, Jennifer has worked extensively in theatre, film, television, musical and radio as an actor, director and teacher for over 40 years. She is also an accredited Intimacy Coordinator (Intimacy on Set, UK) for stage and screen.
Jennifer was a founding board member of the Watershed Theatre and a co-founder of the drama school, The Actors’ Program. She is President of Equity New Zealand (since 2008), Patron of Q Theatre and Theatre New Zealand and serves as a trust board member of the Actors Benevolent Fund.
In the 2007 New Year’s Honours List, she was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to theatre and the community. In 2018 she was named SPADA Industry Champion and in 2019 New Year’s Honours List, she was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to theatre, film and television and presented with a Woman of Influence Award (for arts and culture). In 2020 Jennifer was honoured as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
She was gifted the name Te Atamira (The Stage) by Sir Tīmoti Kāretu and the late Dr Te Wharehuia Milroy for her championing of te reo Māori throughout the performing arts community.
RUSSELL DIXON
As a highly experienced practitioner of musical theatre, Russell’s skills are often engaged as both director and/or performer. Russell has performed in numerous productions throughout NZ with a career spanning 36 years. He was invited to perform in Ken Hills Original Phantom of the Opera at Tokyo’s Orb Theatre, Japan in 2018, and most recently revisited this same production early this year, in Tokyo, for the second time.
Russell has been engaged as the director of many productions over the last few years, most recently directing the record-breaking season of Matilda at the Baycourt Theatre in Tauranga for Tauranga Musical Theatre last year. He also directed Mary Poppins for the Amici Trust at Auckland’s prestigious Civic Theatre in 2020. This production was labelled by the international publication ‘Broadway World’ as the largest production in the world (during its season) due to the global impact of Covid-19.
He directed the production Holiday Inn for the graduating students at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Arts (NASDA) in Christchurch in 2020, with other directorial credits including Wicked for Tauranga Musical Theatre, Blood Brothers for Taieri Musical Society in Dunedin, Mamma Mia in Tauranga, Oamaru and in Auckland, at the Bruce Mason Centre.
A highlight was playing the role of Thomas S Monson in the feature film The Other Side of Heaven 2 – The Fire of Faith which premiered in the USA in 2019 and was the most successful ‘faith film’ in America for that year.
Russell returned to New Zealand in 2014, having spent 7 years in the UK where he performed the leading, comic role of Alberto Beddini in the West End production of Top Hat at London’s Aldwych Theatre and was also cast in the UK tour of The Witches of Eastwick, playing the role of Joe Marino and understudying the lead role of Darryl van Horne played by Marti Pellow (from the band WetWetWet).
In November 2013 Russell filmed the David Walliams, Miranda Hart and Joanna Lumley - BBC Christmas TV Movie Gangsta Granny, playing the role of The Judge and was the standby performer for the role of Flavio Flaviolli played by Robbie Williams. Russell played both Mr. Lyons and Narrator in the UK Tour of Blood Brothers, Mr. Lyons on the West End at London’s Phoenix Theatre and in the UAE premiere of Blood Brothers in Dubai at the Madinat Jumeira Theatre. He was also invited to play the role of Mr. Lyons in the STARCAST performance at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre to commemorate the 20 Year Anniversary of the show. NZ Film & Television credits include Shortland Street, Hercules -The Legendary Journeys, Riverworld, Underbelly, Dear Murderer and many TV commercials. Other Television work includes TV3 Weather Presenter and former television chef. He presented the Tegel Taste Kitchen TV series and competed with Jamie Oliver in the award winning TVC - Duelling Chefs for Pams.
During the day Russell often works as a performance artist and travel coordinator for Operatunity Ltd and as a corporate trainer throughout Australasia with the Great Scott Company. He is also a registered Marriage Celebrant and director of RD Entertainment - specialising in tailor made corporate shows, cabarets, and dinner theatre productions.
THEA ERICHSEN
Thea Erichsen is a versatile and accomplished performer whose career has taken her across the globe!
Most recently cast in Broadway's ‘Beetlejuice The Musical’ on board the newest Norwegian cruise line - touring Europe, Mediterranean and the Caribbean!
Originally from New Zealand, Thea has been seen in professional theatre regionally, nationally and internationally with her career now launching in New York! Other notable credits include: Broadway Dreams New York Showcases (NYC), recent graduate of Broadway Dance Centre’s Professional Semester (NYC), performance apprentice Broadway Dreams US tour (USA 2022), We Will Rock You: the musical (Bruce Mason AKL), and a number of national NZ performing accolades and awards. Thea is passionate about broadening kiwi dancer’s perspective on the industry + extending artists as true triple threat performers!
BENJAMIN HENSON
Benjamin is one of New Zealand’s busiest theatre directors, forging a diverse career, spanning form, scale and medium including original works, scripted premieres and opera. Prior to New Zealand, Benjamin worked for one of the UK’s largest youth arts organisations, leading participatory projects for primarily at-risk youth, including taking six productions a year to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for nine consecutive years. Ben later trained in theatre direction at the Mountview Academy of Theatre arts, London, while continuing to direct for the London fringe and cabaret circuit. Following projects in Germany and France, Ben was director in residence at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. Under theatre collective Fractious Tash, Ben has received critical acclaim for Earnest, Not Psycho and Titus, which was then remounted for a sell-out season at the Pop-Up Globe (featuring Beyoncé covers by NZ’s only steelpan band).
Ben opened Auckland Theatre Company’s 2018 season with the NZ premiere of Red Speedo by American playwright Lucas Hnath. He then closed their 2019 season with Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, winning best production design in the Auckland Theatre Awards. The award-winning production of Last Tapes’ Valerie toured throughout NZ, following dates in Australia and Edinburgh, adding to its accolade the coveted Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Last year Ben made his directorial debut at The Court Theatre, Christchurch with a wild reimagining of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. Currently Ben is the Artistic Manager of The Actors’ Program as well as Casting Consultant for ATC.
REBEKKAH SCHOOBEEK-BERRIDGE
An in demand professional Dancer, Choreographer, Singer and Actress, Rebekkah has trained in Auckland and later in New York at "Broadway Dance Centre”. Her choreographic work has been seen in many musicals, music videos, corporate events, and competition performances, She is heavily involved in the New Zealand dance education and has created and developed curriculums for multiple institutions. She created the NZQA Level 4 & 5 dance curriculum for Excel Performing Arts and was Head of Departed there for Two years. In 2015 she was awarded “Stand Out Female Performer” for her contemporary piece The Crickets Have Arthritis (Short + Sweet Dance Festival), and in 2016 completed a one-month Contemporary Indigenous Dance Residency at Banff Arts Centre in Canada. In 2019, Rebekkah performed in at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Two Hearts with Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore. Her theatre credits include Shortland Street The Musical, featuring on the original cast recording album, Pleasuredome the Musical, Chicago, Artemis, Gifted, Anything Goes and 42nd Street. She has appeared on television (X-Factor, Jono and Ben), in multiple music videos (Marlon Williams, Stan Walker, The Eversons), and for Les Mills Gym and Sky City Entertainment. Rebekkah has danced for many live events (X-Factor, TV3 Awards, Blues Rugby) and has choreographed and danced for a number of festivals, including Tempo, Short + Sweet. Founder of dynamic dance theatre company Luck & Schooney, Rebekkah is co-artistic director of the spectacular queer cabaret Night of the Queer and is currently completing her Postgrade in Dance Studies with Auckland University.
BECKS WRIGHT
Rebecca Wright has enjoyed an illustrious career in the musical theatre industry, most recently performing the role of Fantine in Les Miserables at Auckland’s beloved Civic Theatre to critical acclaim. Previous highlights include Oz in We Will Rock You staged at The Bruce Mason Centre, Eva Peron in Hamilton Operatic Society’s successful production of Evita at Hamilton’s Clarence St Theatre, the title role of Cinderella and Mimi in Rent – also both staged at the Civic Theatre. Prior to that she lead a stellar cast around the country and learned to roller skate as the lead role of Pearl in the Starlight Express NZ Arena Tour. Other credits include the lead role in homegrown musical, Amour Fantastique and the beginning of her professional musical theatre career as part of the cast of the NZ tour of Evita in 2004. She has achieved the near impossible and maintained a career as a professional musician and is currently a member of leading NZ corporate covers band, Halo. She has starred in both Coca Cola Christmas In The Park and Symphony Under The Stars, was a finalist in NZ Idol back in 2006 and has even held the Guinness World Record for Singing Upside Down. Becks recently graduated with a Diploma in Vocal Pedagogy and holds a Masters Degree in Psychotherapy.
RUTENE SPOONER
Rutene is of Ngāti Porou and Ngaruahine descent. Since graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Musical, the singer, actor and entertainer has toured nationally and internationally for various theatre and corporate entertainment companies
He has appeared in such musicals as: Anything Goes, Little Shop of Horrors, The Buddy Holly Musical, Grease, Avenue Q, Lacage Aux Folle, Oklahoma, Chicago, Billy Elliot (New Zealand premiere) and Jersey Boys (Australian Tour) to name a few.
The award winning cabaret performer has been described by New Zealand Herald as “a stalwart on the Auckland cabaret scene” and has toured his works both nationally and internationally to great acclaim.
Outside of his busy performance schedule, Rutene also works as a creative producer, television director and performance coach.
Rutene is a proud kaihaka of Te Kapa Haka of Whāngara-Mai-Tawhiti, memeber of the Modern Māori Quartet and a dedicated union member of the New Zealand Actors Equity.
DENISE NORTON
Denise Norton has enjoyed an illustrious international career
over the last 30+ years. Denise had extensive singing training after receiving a scholarship in 1976 for the highest score in Vocal
examinations in Australasia.
Denise performed in the New Zealand, Australia and Hawaiian tours of ‘Evita’ which lead to the European Tour of ‘Jesus Christ
Superstar playing “Mary Magdalene” and then an engagement in the premier cast CATS Germany in 1986.
Denise has taught the SONG INTERPRETATION Masterclass at the prestigious Stage School Hamberg. Denise has also attended a Masterclass held by Harold Prince and performed in many professional productions such as Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Sweet Charity and Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
This class will be run as a Masterclass. Participants who sign up will be asked to send through a brief introduction and their song selection prior to the class so that we can utilise the time for solo singing.
HAYDEN TEE
Hayden Tee hails from Maungaturoto in Northland but has made a name for himself globally as an acclaimed performer, makeup artist and recording artist in theatre, concert and cabaret throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia, the U.K and U.S.A. His extensive musical theatre portfolio has seen him play Javert in Les Misérables on Broadway, London’s West End, Australia, Dubai and New Zealand; Marius in Les Misérables on London’s West End and Miss Trunchbull in Matilda on London’s West End and in the International tour. Hayden has performed throughout Australia as Cable in South Pacific; Professor Bhaer in Little Women, Thomas Andrews in Titanic, and Father Grenville in Dead Man Walking. On the international stage, Hayden has taken on the roles of Jack in Being Earnest, Rutledge in 1776, Prince/Wolf in Into The Woods, Freddy in My Fair Lady, Arthur in Camelot, Hook/Mr. Darling in Peter Pan, Mason in Take Me Out, Bustopher Jones/Gus/ Growltiger in Cats and Stride/Jekyll/Hyde Alternate in Jekyll and Hyde. Hayden has released three studio albums, ‘Hayden Tee’, ‘Generation whY’ and ‘Face to face” which are all available on all digital platforms.
CHERIE MOORE
Cherie is a singer, actor, vocal coach, director, and producer. She is a founder of Last Tapes Theatre Company, and the founder and artistic director of Ihi Musical Theatre Company. She is a graduate of The Actors’ Program, has a double degree in Drama and English, and has studied singing for the last 20 years. Cherie is currently Head Of Voice at The Actors’ Program, and is on the board of Equity NZ. She has won awards as a performer and director in NZ and internationally, and is passionate about mentoring up and coming performers.
Cherie co-created and performed the show Valerie for the Auckland International Cabaret Festival. Valerie was named cabaret of the year by The Herald, won most original production at the Auckland Theatre Awards, and has since toured nationally and internationally. Valerie won a Fringe First Award in Edinburgh in 2018. Other recent credits include; Sweet Tooth (Netflix), Unleashed (Civic Winter Garden), Karaoke Boiz (Q Theatre), The Space Between (Auckland Town Hall), Twelfth Night (Fortune Theatre), Into The Woods (Fortune Theatre), The
Tempest (Pop Up Globe), Hungover the Musical (Basement Theatre), The Last Five Years (Herald Theatre), Verbatim (North Island Tour), and Shortland Street.
LEANNE HOWELL
Leanne is an accomplished performer, who has entertained thousands of people around the world.
She began singing, acting and dancing in Auckland from a very young age and at the age of 21, she moved to London where she was fortunate enough to study Musical Theatre at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music. Since graduating, she has performed in London's West End, toured all over the UK, Europe, internationally and back home, here in Aotearoa. Some credits include “The Rat Pack Live From Las Vegas”, “Crazy for You”, “Me and My Girl” and a notable highlight was performing at Wembley Stadium for the 'Concert for Diana' as part of Elton John's choir.
One of Leanne's most recent adventures has been performing on Princess’ luxury cruise ships, taking her around the world. She loves performing on cruise ships as it has given her the chance to perform in a variety of shows, singing many different genres and styles of music from rock to opera and of course musical theatre.
CHARLOTTE WEST
Charlotte West is an experienced and well-known musical theatre performer, voice-over artist, vocal coach and a graduate of NASDA.
As a voice over artist she works for a range of clients on a regular basis for all kinds of voice work, but is most well-known as a station voice for TVNZ across all their channels.
As a vocal coach she is increasingly being known in Aotearoa as a go-to coach for performers suffering from illness or vocal injury.
Charlotte is uniquely placed, understanding the specific demands on professional or heavy load voice users, and, how to balance and maintain that busy voice work load, the physiology of the voice and vocal process to an advanced level through studies with Estill Voice Training, and, the weight and challenge that comes with suffering from vocal injury or illness as she has had to do vocal rehabilitation on a personal level, with a vocal fold cyst and a thyroid node, resulting in 4 vocal fold/neck surgeries and years of impacted voice use - thankfully now resolved.
Charlotte is a passionate advocate for vocal rehabilitation but is even more passionate about vocal injury prevention, and is thrilled to be presenting a practical masterclass where performers will be invited to share things that are frustrating or challenging them and then assist with mapping a way through, learning in the process bits bad pieces of how the voice works.
This is suitable for any experience level voice user.
LARA MACGREGOR
Lara is a versatile actor, director, dramaturg and performance coach in New Zealand. She studied acting in New York City with Uta Hagen, Anthony Abeson and Tony Greco and worked for ten years as an actor in the U.S.
Lara holds a Post-Grad in Directing from N.I.D.A in Sydney and has directed over 40 productions throughout New Zealand.
In 2009, Lara was appointed Associate Artistic Director at The Court Theatre in Christchurch and, in 2010, became Artistic Director at Fortune Theatre in Dunedin. Directing highlights include; Tribes, The Caretaker, Punk Rock, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
She now free-lances for various companies including; ATC, Circa Theatre, Centrepoint Theatre, SPP, TAP and University of Otago Theatre Studies. Recent acting credits include: Annie Wilkes in Misery (The Court Theatre), Sgt Gillian Carmichael in Clickbait (Netflix) and Fran in Things I Know to Be True (The Court Theatre, Circa Theatre).
HAYDEN MILANÉS
Hayden, who has traveled nationally and internationally playing Frankie Valli in Broadway’s hit musical JERSEY BOYS, has just arrived in New Zealand from New York City and will join an outstanding New Zealand based cast as he takes on the role of Mr Valli once again this April at the Auckland Civic Theatre. He is currently set to rejoin the national tour of WICKED in USA this upcoming July as a Fiyero Cover.