by PNBHS

Performing Arts and Dance

Our last update for 2020.

The 2020 Junior Theatre Showcase was another highly successful five performance season with the three evening shows and final matinee sold out. The ever-improving skill levels of our juniors are quite amazing and huge thanks must go to our adult outside tutors, Kirsten Clark, Sophia Parker, Mark Kilsby, Taryn Baxter and Alexia Clark, and Co-HOD Sophie Belcher, all of whose expertise is having a major impact. Helping them were a number of senior students: Zac Maskill, Jacob Dredge, Karmeehan Senthilnathan, Caleb Rayner and also Year 10 student Camille Chemasle.

The PNBHS/PNGHS Senior Production Company is well into rehearsal for our 2021 season of Streakin’ Thru the ‘70s! Sourced from the USA, this will be a southern hemisphere premiere. Over 30 big hits from the 1970s will have the audience rocking and singing along! Bookings open Jan 1 2021 at www.pnbhs.school.nz  Sponsorship is already going well as we look to begin offering scholarships to leavers who are embarking on a tertiary course in some area of the Performing Arts. Sponsorship details are available from Rachel Wenham: wenhamr@pnbhs.school.nz

The PNBHS/PNGHS Senior Production Company is very well-represented in community theatre at the moment. Headed by some outstanding voices, The Manawatu Theatre Society presented a highly amusing production of The Pirates of Penzance at The Globe Theatre. Co-Directed by Mark Kilsby with Amy Hunt in fine voice, it also included nine others onstage and in crew.

Meanwhile another large group of current and former performers is onstage or behind the scenes for Act 3 Productions with their superb season of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This was an especially proud moment for us because Alex Hughes, who has come from being a student Principal Dancer to Assistant Dance Director to Dance Director for us, was making her debut as Choreographer for A3P. Her work was outstanding, as was that of all our team involved, helping create a highly engaging overall spectacle. It makes us very proud that our Company is having a significant influence in Palmy Theatre outside of the Speirs Centre.

Big congratulations to the following for their outstanding achievements in 2020: Ciaran Carroll and Joe Inman as dual Dux Artium with Zac Maskill runner-up, and to Jacob Dredge who will be our Head Prefect in 2021!! These young men have all made significant contributions to our Dramatic Performing Arts. Over the last five years, Zac can be credited with lifting the profile of Dance at PNBHS to a whole new level. Both he and Noah Purcell were awarded Honours Ties for their highly successful year in Hip Hop with both the school and the Dean McKerras School of Dance.

Finally, thank you to all those adults who have driven these activities and several more for our Department in 2020. We are particularly grateful to those outside the school who bring us their passion, enthusiasm and skill to support our Drama staff.