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Northland Youth Theatre
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OUR STAFF


HAYLEY (HARRIE) DOUGLAS - Ngāti Awa
MANAGER

Harrie has been a part of the NYT family since 2001 and has taken part in number of NYT's most memorable performances including 'Karang I Te Pō’ and 'The Odyssey'.  After her start at NYT Harrie went on to study costuming at Toi Whakaari(NZ drama school) and has since worked around the country as a designer and maker in places like the Court Theatre and at World of Wearable art. She has worked as a costumer on a number of NYT shows as well as tutoring. Also keep an eye out for the cute Pū who is a constant at Harrie's side.
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MEG SYDENHAM
EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Meg is the newest addition to the NYT whānau, joining us fresh from Tāmaki Makaurau. She graduated from Toi Whakaari in 2018 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts. Since then, Meg has built up a varied toolkit of experience, both in the performing arts and education sectors, and is now weaving it all together at NYT. Meg is also an award-winning screen actor, a soon to be māmā, a yoga teacher, and a big-time gardening fanatic. 
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DRAMA TUTORS


JAN FISHER
SENIOR DRAMA TUTOR

Jan (Dip Teaching North Shore Teachers College, Dip Drama Auckland University, Dip Drama New Zealand Drama school) has been ‘doing drama’ since she fell in love with acting, when she was a college student, while playing Hortense in Zorba the Greek.

In Whangārei Jan has taught drama to students of all ages at primary, secondary, NYT and Northtec and she still gets a kick out of seeing the light in the eyes, the expansion of energy and the understanding that they have found their place when students fall in love with theatre.
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JJ WELLINGTON
JUNIOR DRAMA TUTOR

J J is the newest member of the NYT teaching rōpu. 

His favourite part of performing arts is the process of bringing something to life and sharing it with others, whether that’s in the theatre, behind the lens of the camera, or through kapa haka.

J J has been part of NYT since 2024, performing in From Havoc and Echoes of Our Place, which took out the He Kākano award at the Whangārei Fringe Festival.

Being part of the team here has helped J J to begin finding other opportunities to continue on a pathway in the performing arts, and he looks forward to what the future will hold.  
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JULIE EDWARDS - Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Whare
​SENIOR DRAMA TUTOR

​Julie is a founding member of NYT and brings a wealth of experience as an actor, director, vocal coach, and teacher.
With over 100 productions under her belt, Julie has graced stages throughout New Zealand, including over 70 performances at the Fortune Theatre in Dunedin. Her diverse roles span from classics like Hamlet and Twelfth Night to contemporary hits like Educating Rita and Four Flat Whites in Italy.
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Julie's love for the craft led her to return home to the North, where she's now teaching at NYT and excited to collaborate and share her skills with fellow artists.
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LUTZ HAMM
​SENIOR DRAMA TUTOR

Lutz Hamm is a passionate actor, maker, and director with extensive experience in both performance and teaching. Trained in the pedagogies of Giovanni Fussetti and John Bolton, he is also an alumnus of Toi Whakaari - The New Zealand Drama School, and has practiced various approaches to performance and performance education.

​As a co-founder of the Whangārei-based theatre company, Company of Giants, Lutz contributed to the creation of acclaimed productions like Odyssey, The Owl & The Pussycat, and The Vaudeville of Flowers, and remains a crucial component of the company’s future. The company’s home, ONEONESIX, serves as a hub for innovative theatre and continues to grow the capacity of Northlanders to explore, create and see wonderful pieces of work.
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KELLY GILBRIDE
​SENIOR DRAMA TUTOR

Kelly Gilbride is an award-winning creative producer and director over several mediums including theatre, podcast and film. 

Coming from a theatre background, she worked as a producer at Pop-up Globe and for Proudly Asian Theatre, producing the first year of the highly successful playreading series Fresh off the Page, as well as several theatre productions. She trained as a puppeteer under Muppeteer Peter Linz and Puppet Kitchen’s Michael Schubach, has toured shows across New Zealand.
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She has produced a number of short films, music videos and documentaries, most notably the award-winning RNZ 5-part podcast and documentary series The Elephant in the Bedroom. 

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Kelly is currently training to be a Speech and Drama teacher.
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OUR COLLABORATORS

SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED TO SHAPE NYT OVER THE YEARS
PAST
​MANAGERS/TRUSTEES

Alan Palmer - Founder
​​Peter Williams - Patron
Maria Satterfield - Manager
Derek Simpson - Manager
Rose Daly - Manager
Jess Collins - Manager
Wayne Mckean - Chairman
Gareth Mauchline - Trustee
Oliver Scripps - Trustee
Ringi Smith - Trustee
​Nick Reeves - Trustee
Clark - Manager
​Zac Olsen - Chairman
​Arana Horncy - Trustee
Graham Franks - Treasurer
PAST DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS
Sunny Amey
Alan Palmer
Brian Divers
Don Selwyn
Sam Scott
Christian Penny
Sean Allan
​Rawiri Paratene
Chris Graham 
Laurel D
evenie
Ash Holwell
Liz Sugrue
Jan Fisher 
Maria Satterfield

Kelly Johnson 
​Rob Pollock 
Katy Maudlin 
Jo Randerson
​Benjamin Teh

Hayley Douglas
​Georgia-May Russ
Jarod Tuck
Wendy Izzard
​Lutz Hamm
Julie Edwards
​Rose McKenzie
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 PAST CREATIVE TEAM
Rachel McAlpine - Writer
Natasha James – Lighting Designer

Gina Moss – Producer
Chloe Alderton – Designer
Charley Draper – Designer
Tim Bell – Lighting Designer
Benjamin Teh – Actor/writer
Fiona Douglas - Costumes
Hayley Douglas - Costumes
​Hayley Clark - Costumes
​Chris Kwark - Lighting
Chloe King- Costumes
Tayla Matheson- Costumes
Erin Griffin- Make-up
Matt de Boer - Sound
Josh Kiwkiwi - Set/prop
Kenza Bell-Booth - Costume
Scott Wynne - Lighting
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PAST ACTORS
William Davis - Actor
Shannon Douglas - Actor
Benjamin Teh – Actor/writer
Milo Cawthorne - Actor
Lutz Hamm- Actor
Anthony Crum- Actor
Summer Millet- Actor
Mataara Stokes- Actor
Thomas Gowing- Actor
Tomasin Fisher-Johnson- Actor
Zara Skuse- Actor

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There are so many more amazing people you have contributed to NYT over the past 34 years. We would love to include everyone to this list so please contact us, so we can add you to our NYT Whanau Tree.
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Our Supporters

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Location
10 Reyburn House Lane
Whangarei, Northland


Who we are

Northland Youth Theatre is a not-for-profit charitable trust set up to provide training for the young people of Northland in theatre craft. We deliver our training across a range of disciplines to young people from age 6 to 25 years.

Contact us
Harrie Douglas - Manager  |  [email protected]
Meg Sydenham - Education Coordinator | [email protected]
​Phone | 0226910416


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