Actor/Composer: Paul Barrett
Writer: Michelanne Forster
Director: Jennifer Ward-Lealand
Producer: Andrew Malmo
Designer: Rachael Walker
Paul Barrett
Actor, composer
Paul is an actor, musical director and voice artist. He obtained a Bachelor of Music ( Honours) degree
from Victoria University in 1978 and made his professional debut as an actor in 1980 at Circa Theatre,
Wellington. He has subsequently appeared in over a hundred productions throughout New Zealand, and in Australia and Britain.
For Auckland Theatre Company: Masterclass; Foreskin's Lament; Noises Off; Art; Caligula: Mum's Choir; Spreading Out; A Christmas Carol; Twelfth Night; Waiting For Godot;The Bach; End Of The Rainbow and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (playing keyboards)
Highlights from other theatres include; The Goat;Take Me Out; and Under Milkwood, for Silo Theatre,
Long Day's Jouney Into Night; The Merchant Of Venice; and Shadowlands, for Court Theatre, Christchurch,Chinchilla; and As You Like It, for Fortune Theatre, Dunedin; Hamlet and The Threepenny Opera for The Large Group.
As musical director: Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well...; and Berlin: Cabaret Of Desire( Silo);Gypsy; She LovesMe; and Big River( Court), and as assistant musical director on Sweeney Todd, and Chicago( NZ tour).He is a freelance vocal coach and piano accompanist and has directed two operas; Gianni Schicchi and Amelia Goes To The Ball for Opera Factory, Auckland. He also sang the role of Baron Zita in Canterbury Opera's production of The Merry Widow. Paul has worked with the Auckland Philharmonia as narrator of Rome- The Eternal City and Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale (which was recorded and released on CD), and Around The Curve Of The World with Christchurch City Choir.
Television credits include; Interrogation; Being Eve; Shortland Street; Maddigan's Quest; Amazing Extraordinary Friends; The Jacquie Brown Diaries and Diplomatic Immunity.
Film includes; Ike - Days of Thunder; Spooked; We're Here to Help and Life's a Riot.
Paul has narrated forty books for The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind, and received the Narrator of the Year award in 2004.His voice has been heard in over one thousand television and radio commercials, as well as corporate videos and television documentaries for TVNZ and the National Geographic channel.
Michelanne Forster
Writer
Michelanne Forster’s prize-winning plays been performed professionally throughout New Zealand and in Australia, Canada and the United States. Her plays, often based on historical incidents, include, My Heart is Bathed in Blood, This Other Eden, The Rosenberg Sisters, Larnach, and Daughters of Heaven and The Great Storm of 1868. She has also written scripts for Television New Zealand, TV3, Radio New Zealand and The Learning Channel (USA). Michelanne has published a number of books and plays for children and her awards include Writer in Residence at Canterbury University, Best Radio Drama (twice) and two Creative New Zealand grants. She is currently working as a mentor for Playmarket, the national organisation for Playwrights and teaching at Auckland University Continuing Education.
Jennifer Ward-Lealand
Director
Since training at Auckland's influential Theatre Corporate, New Zealand actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand has worked extensively in theatre, film and television for over 25 years. She has excelled in both dramatic and comedic roles, as well as numerous roles in musical theatre and cabaret.
In recent years Jennifer has also become a director of theatre, especially musicals, and has devised many cabarets. As an accomplished singer, she presents her own shows, Falling in Love Again and The Look of Love, Evocative/Provocative, at festivals and venues in New Zealand and Australia. She is also in demand as a tutor of musical theatre.
Jennifer was a founding board member of the Watershed Theatre, a co-founder of The Large Group, and is currently President of New Zealand Actors Equity and serves as a trust board member of Silo Theatre and an honorary board member of Women in Film & Television-Auckland. In the 2007 New Years Honours List, she was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit "for services to the theatre and the community.
Andrew Malmo
Producer
Andrew is a Producer, Production Manager, Lighting Designer and photographer, as well as managing director of Strata Creative Limited. Through Strata Creative Ltd. Andrew acted as Programme Manager for Auckland Festival 2009. He also produces and production/tour-manages Silo Theatre’s Bare by Toa Fraser and The Case of Katherine Mansfield, by Catherine Downes, as well as Jennifer Ward-Lealand’s acclaimed cabaret shows, The Look of Love – Evocative/Provocative and the Dietrich tribute Falling in Love Again, and has recently started acting as agent for Wellington based The Playground and their groundbreaking new show Sleep/Wake for international touring. His company Strata Creative has two new shows for production in 2009 and is establishing networks with a view to tour New Zealand work internationally, and in the future to tour international work to New Zealand. Strata Creative is gaining interest from theatre creators within New Zealand as they see the tour opportunities Andrew can provide their work. Starting professionally in the New Zealand theatre industry as a technician at Auckland’s Maidment Theatre in 1997, Andrew quickly advanced to Technical Manager in 1999and became a freelance Lighting Designer and Production Manager in 2004, working for Auckland Theatre Company, Silo Theatre, Auckland Festival 2007 (Technical Manager), Auckland Festival 2009 (Programme Manager) and for various independent producers.
Rachael Walker
Set and costume designer
Rachael is a set and costume designer who has found herself specialising in Theatre design for the last 9 years.
Previously for Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) she has designed the set for Who Needs Sleep Anyway?, costumes for End of the Rainbow, set and costumes for The Tutor, costumes for The Bach and the set for The Vagina Monologues. She also designed the ATC2econd Unit productions of ‘Play 2’ and Play 2.03’.
Theatre highlights include set designs for the Silo theatre of ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Cut’, ‘Lobby Hero’, ‘Some Girl(s)’, ‘The Case of Katherine Mansfield’, ‘Under Milkwood’ and costumes for their production of ‘Glide Time’ at Maidment theatre. A Lethal Set’s productions of ‘A Number’, ‘The Return’ and ‘Proof’ at the Maidment Studio, Top Girls’, ‘Cloud Nine’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Scenes from the Big Picture’, ‘Measure for Measure’, ‘Sons’ and ‘The Crucible’ at the Unitec theatre and ‘Aladdin’ at the Auckland Festival 03.
Rachael was the URBIS Best Stage Designer in 2008 and she has just designed the set for Holding the Man, a Silo Production at the Herald theatre.
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