Crew

With Silver Linings, Maya is excited to make her directorial and theatrical debut in Aotearoa New Zealand. She moved from New York City in March of 2019 after an eleven year career working professionally in theatres across the United States, and is so grateful to have been welcomed into the Footlights family for this production.

Previous direction includes Uncle Vanya (Anton Chekhov), Cabaret (Kander and Ebb), Spring Storm (Tennesee Williams), BUG (Tracy Letts) and Hay Fever (Noel Coward).

As an actor, favourite roles include Miss Saigon (Kim), Les Miserables (Eponine), Avenue Q (Christmas Eve), The Importance of Being Earnest (Cecily), The Last Five Years (Cathy), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Julia), 1984 (Julia), and A Doll’s House: A New Opera (Christine).

Michael is a vocal coach, performer, conductor, composer and music teacher working with theatre companies and schools across the Wellington region. He’s extremely proud to be taking to the stage in Silver Linings as a fully fledged Kiwi, having received his citizenship before the world changed (perfect timing some might say).

Since helping found Wellington Footlights, Michael has been involved in almost every show in some capacity - highlights have included MDing Legally Blonde (2016) and Chess (2018), directing My Fair Lady (2019), and playing Collins in Rent (2015) and Roger in A New Brain (2017). Working on Silver Linings, after such a traumatic year, has been a joy and in particular he would like to thank Maya, Nick and Jo for coming onboard with his crazy vision with such energy and positivity. He’s always proud of what Footlights do, but especially so during this time of uncertainty and anxiety. He hopes you enjoy the show!

Jo is no stranger to the Wellington stage. A busy performer and singing teacher, Jo has recently been branching out into musical direction over the last couple of years with her debut into baton waving for Stagecraft’s Bare: A Pop Opera in 2019.

In 2020, she enjoyed MD’ing Nunsense at Chilton St James where she teaches singing and pre school music and Silver Linings is Jo’s first show with Wellington Footlights.

She is grateful to have the guidance and support of Michael Stebbings in our co- musical direction role - but hadn’t quite anticipated conducting an incredible 13 piece band ! Nothing like a steep learning curve to give a year of challenges extra spice!

Jo is passionate about helping singers of all ages to find their own voice, to encourage them to develop their skill and tell their story and in turn this inspires her to grow and always be developing her own skill in the process..

Memorable performance moments over the years have included ‘Hida’ in The Bone Thief with Red Scare Theatre; ‘Mrs Noye’ in NZ Opera’s Noye’s Fludde; Grizabella in WMT’s Cats; Octavia in The Nero Show by Paul Jenden and Gareth Farr and her formative training with the NZ choirs (NZSSC, NZYC and VoicesNZ).

Nick is profoundly grateful to be working on a theatre production in a time when so many artists around the world would give anything to be in rehearsals. “Kia kaha, theatre friends abroad!” Nick previously worked with Wellington Footlights in last year’s production of Company, and spent the last decade working as an actor based in New York City.

“Sending love and holiday wishes to everyone as we head into a new year. Stay safe, look out for one another, and have yourself a merry little Christmas.”

Shereen has been a dancer her whole life, and is particularly fanatical about ballet. She spends her spare time watching dance and attending classes. Shereen took ballet from age 6, and has continued to train in ballet and many other forms of dance, including for some years in London and more recently in Wellington. She was a cheerleader for over 8 years and performed regularly at North Harbour Rugby, New Zealand Breakers basketball and other sports games and events. She loves the Royal Ballet in London, and the choreographer Wayne McGregor.

Shereen’s inspiration for getting involved in theatre was Justin Peck’s Carousel and she is pleased to be invited back to work with Wellington Footlights Society again, having co-choreographed My Fair Lady in 2019.

Shereen worked for All Star Cheerleaders in Auckland for 7 years teaching children in cheerleading, dance and gymnastics. During this time, she choreographed a number of competitive cheer and dance routines for teams, individuals and pairs. She coached Team New Zealand for 4 years from 2008 to 2011, which included World Championship bronze medal placements in 2009 and 2011. Since 2017 she has been judging national and international competitions as a cheer and dance judge.

Katty began ballet lessons in Hong Kong at age 3 and has been dancing ever since. She trained predominantly in ballet and jazz, and has performed in Cats, Miss Saigon, 42nd Street, Grease, and numerous stadium events including the Rugby Sevens tournament, All Blacks test matches, and Hurricanes games. A career highlight was working with Andre Fuente and performing his choreography in LA. Katty has been performing as part of The Dazzling Fillettes, the back up trio to the drag performer, Pollyfilla, for the past 15 years.

Katty’s musical theatre choreography includes Urinetown, If/Then, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Bare: a Pop Opera, and most recently, Footlight’s production of Company. She is very grateful to be back with Footlights in 2020, and for the opportunity to create some joy – a real silver lining in this turbulent year.

Sam’s happy place in the theatre is backstage under blue light. She loves getting to support her friends from side of stage, helping with quick changes and keeping everyone to time.

Sam has been part of the Wellington theatre scene since 2015 when she started as a Music Assistant in Wellington Footlights’ RENT. Since then, she’s worked on many a Footlights show and she’s proud to be back, especially this year supporting Mary Potter Hospice, an organisation dear to Sam’s heart.

He mihi nunui, he mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa ki te tautoko mai i a tātou!

Tessa should be in London right now after being accepted into a Post. Grad Diploma at Mountview Academy in London, but she isn’t crazy enough to move to London in the middle of a pandemic.

Tessa has worked on numerous Footlights shows in various capacities mostly Stage Manager including RENT (2015), Legally Blonde (2016), Spamalot (2017) and various revues in between.

Tessa is excited to finally be working on another Footlights show, especially one benefitting such a wonderful charity!

Patrick is a freelance sound designer, who returned to Pōneke from London earlier this year due to a small global pandemic.

Patrick’s theatre work since returning to Wellington includes Public Service Announcements: Election 2020 (Circa Theatre), Jesus Christ Superstar (Whitireia Musical Theatre), and That’s All She Wrote (Red Scare Theatre Company). He also worked with Red Scare on their audio drama podcast Apocalypse Songs, as the recording engineer.

His Wellington Footlights highlights include My Fair Lady (sound design and band member), If/Then (production management, sound design and band member), Chess (sound design and mixing), the Heart+Music festival (stage management), Heathers: The Musical (sound design and lighting co-design), and Spamalot (band member).

This isn’t Nadia’s first rodeo! Last year she helped coordinate and create costumes for Footlight’s show of My Fair Lady, and also helped with costumes for Wellington Reps Ladies in Black a few weeks ago.

It’s an awesome opportunity to jump into, and this year she has the pleasure of being on the production team, being on stage, and featuring in the band :) hope you enjoy the show, she defs will, after all, she’s only Newman!

If she’s honest, Siobhan doesn’t like writing bios but she
Likes meeting deadlines.
It seems like yesterday Siobhan made her debut with a
Vigorous performance in 2017’s Heart + Music.
Ensemble work at its finest. In 2019, she made a new
Debut as a crew member/Production Assistant
In 2019’s My Fair Lady. She is grateful for the sense of
Nest, community, and family that theatre gives her.

Now, she’s settled down in Pōneke, studying a Masters
En International Trade instead of running a-
Way overseas again due to the
Year that was 2020.

Overall, she hopes you enjoy the Silver Linings
Revue as much as she has enjoyed being part of it!
Kia kaha and ka kite ano!

[Also, she hopes you appreciate the joke hidden in the first letter of every line. Yes words were spelt wrong for it. It’s the end of 2020, she thinks you’ve earned a good laugh]

Aimée is so grateful to be part of the Footlights whānau, having snuck her way in after moving to Aotearoa last year.

She has been on the theatre scene in Wellington since then wearing her multiple hats, onstage and offstage, and now she is so excited to have made the poster design for Silver Linings, earning another cap!