Year 10 student Andrew Blake recently returned from America where he represented New Zealand in New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles as part of the inaugural Kiwi All Stars theatrical troupe 2020.

Andrew had previously auditioned in Auckland for a place in the 40 membered troupe.

After arriving in New York in early January to freezing temperatures, the Kiwi All Stars then prepared and auditioned for specific roles in preparation for their adjudication performance of Mary Poppins at the Junior Theatre Festival (JTF) celebration in Atlanta, Georgia. The Kiwi All Stars rehearsed on Broadway and participated in some amazing workshops ranging from stage performance, advance dance and vocal work under the watchful eye of some industry leaders.

While in Atlanta, the Kiwi All Stars competed against 6,532 students from America, Canada, Australia, England and China, winning the Excellence in Music Trophy for their performance. This, when considering the standard of competition and short preparation time, was a very impressive result. Congratulations Andrew!