Teachers with Passion

Our Passionate Teachers are committed to offering their students the widest variety of theatre programmes possible under our collaborative umbrella of The Collective

Our Permanent Teachers

Billie Parvin

When I was seven I discovered Kate Moetaua in the basement of a church teaching the most outgoing and fun drama lessons, and I never looked back!

Drama has been such a big part of my life since then and my aspiration is for my lessons to be as fun and informative as those that have been given to me.

I’ve been studying drama in and out of school my whole life and have competed in numerous competitions and exams. The passion I have for drama is fierce and I’d love to share that with your children.

Drama isn’t just for the kids who are loud and outgoing, it’s a safe place for everyone to experiment with who they are. It’s a little break from day to day life with a sprinkle of fantasy, it’s a place where you meet life long friends, where you find yourself and learn new things and achieve new things. Well that’s what drama is for me, and that’s what I want to share with your children.

I want them to gain more confidence, try new things, have some awesome fun and make some memories.

Tasman Hughes

I have been part of drama classes since I was 4. I love drama and theatre, the freedom of being anyone you want, the excitement of performing on stage, the pride of seeing your hard work and energy come to life.

Drama to me is inclusive and creative which is why I believe that it is not just about being on stage in the spotlight. Drama has something for everyone. Working backstage, performing, teaching, directing, running the lighting or sound.

At WHS I have been involved with lots of different performances, Sheilah Winn Shakespeare, the school musical, the One Act Play and Class productions. I have been on and off stage for all of these including setting up and running lights or directing pieces.

I love working with kids and really enjoy teaching drama and helping them to find and explore their own passions and ideas.

Looking forward to another amazingly dramatic year!

Beatrice Onions

My devotion to the arts is matched only by my passion for growing and guiding those around me.

I completed my ATCL Trinity Guildhall Diploma with Distinction, as well as grades 3-8 in Musical Theatre and Performance Arts. I studied Drama as one of my core subjects from years 9-13 in high school and directed a multitude of local and nationally recognised performances.

These include the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition in which I gained the Individual Excellence in Acting Award, Theatre Fest which took our whole team to Wellington for the national finals in 2017 and student director for 'FAME' for which I won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2018 OSTA’s.

I studied Theatre and English at Victoria University in Wellington in 2018, gaining expertise in a diverse range of theatrical and literary forms.

"Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something!” - Kurt Vonnegut

Mia Blake

When I was 10 years old I saw my first Shakespeare production. It was Othello and I was entranced.

I begged my mother for Speech & Drama lessons and I was lucky enough to be taught by the most inspirational teacher - Mrs. Nancy Coory.

Mrs. Coory's knowledge of the arts and performance fueled my own passion and gave me the skills I needed to become a professional actor, voice artist, director, creative collaborator and now a teacher myself.

After 20+ years of performing major leading roles with professional Auckland theatre companies and 15 odd years film experience, I can now bring my many skills to teaching.

Nothing brings me more joy then to see my students' abilities grow and develop.

My aim is to give students concrete skills that allow them to be wonderful performers and interesting human beings all round!

Our Casual Teachers

Thank you for your interest in Performing Arts in the Wakatipu.

We would love you to join us for a term or a workshop or even 1 or 2 classes and share your amazing performing arts skills.

Please email us with your background and reasons why you would be an awesome person to impart your skills to our students.

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