I started at Hagley Theatre Company in 2014 as an aspiring young actor. Through high school I was always involved in drama and thoroughly enjoyed it.

My passion for performing arts helped me decide that I wanted to continue my studies in this area. In Christchurch, opportunities to study performing arts are very limited. I decided to apply for Hagley Theatre Company because I saw it as a stepping stone to help me get into the bigger drama schools in New Zealand. I was lucky enough to be accepted straight out of high school and I am grateful for Cameron and Darryl for helping me start my journey.

During my first year at HTC I was exposed to multiple areas of performing arts, in addition to acting. This included dance, physical theatre, singing and more. The ability to study performing arts full time and be surrounded by people who were experiencing the same thing was very exciting. I made many friends and established professional relationships with the tutors in my first year. Towards the end of the year I decided I would not return for my second year of study at HTC. I made this decision because I found acting was not for me and it would be challenging to make a sustainable career out of it.

During my year off I found that I really missed the world of performing arts. There was something about the culture and people that I missed. I was not happy working full time in a trade job and wanted to do something about it, so I returned to Hagley the following year.

I returned to Hagley with a different mind set. I decided to focus on the production side of performing arts. Hagley then provided me insight on directing, logistics and technical elements of a performance that I had overlooked in my first year. Through the many performances Hagley puts on I was able to notice and practice these areas practically in a performance setting. I then saw that Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School provided a degree in performing arts management and this was an area that I saw a particular interest in. I applied and was fortunate enough to be one of eight selected to begin study in 2017. Upon finishing my studies at Hagley I was awarded the The Seamus Casey Memorial Scholarship. I am grateful for this scholarship as it really helped me financially when I moved to Wellington.

I would recommend anyone who has an interest in performing arts to attend Hagley Theatre Company. There is plenty of practical and performance based learning to excite you each day. You will gain knowledge from talented and experienced tutors to help guide your interests. You will feel the support of being part of a small theatre company and most of all, have a lot of fun!

Scott Leighton
Hagley Theatre Company Graduate Class of 2014 & 2016