THEATRE ARTS TOI WHAKAARI
EXPLORING A PASSION FOR PERFORMANCE
Kia ora,
Through Theatre Arts at Rangi Ruru, ākonga experience a rich and diverse journey where they get to engage with local, national and international dance and drama opportunities, participate in performances on and off stage, and build meaningful community connections.
Students explore the multifacted world of the arts, develop industry understanding, and learn to use feedback as a tool for growth.
Our students connect with other performers through workshops, conventions, and trips, leaving them with the confidence, creativity and collaborative spirit to thrive in any performing arts context.
KIRSTY BELL Director of Theatre Arts
RECENT THEATRE ARTS OPPORTUNITIES
• DanceNZ Made 2025: Students from Years 7 to 13 competed at the DanceNZ Made regional competition
• Victorian Dance Festival: Students from Years 10 to 13 travelled to Melbourne to take part, completing classes with internationally recognised choreographers, and to perform on the international stage
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
• Senior production with Christ’s College, Shakespeare in Love
• Junior production with Christ’s College, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
• ShowQuest Canterbury, Our Year 7s and 8s placed 3rd and won three regional awards
• Dance Showcase
• Arts Showcase
• Sheliah Winn Shakespeare Festival
• Theatre Fest NZ, Our Year 12 group won best ensemble at the national competition
THEATRE ARTS AT RANGI RURU
Dance and Drama courses at Rangi Ruru are focused on building our students’ knowledge and practical skills, as well as developing an understanding of the historical context of dance styles and theatre forms.
We focus on the student as a leader of their own learning by offering standards that cater to individual needs. Working alongside ākonga to build their confidence and guide their
progress, our focus on contemporary dance styles and theatre from New Zealand and around the world provides a solid skill base and opportunities for creative expression.
With industry experience in the performing arts, our staff focus on realworld skills and have an understanding of tertiary training prospects and how the industry works.
OUR ALUMNAE
GEORGINA SCOTT
MINISTRY OF DANCE, MELBOURNE
Georgina (2016-2020) started her time at Rangi Ruru with dreams of being a CSI-style forensic scientist who did a little bit of performance on the side. In the intervening years Georgina flourished in all aspects of the performing arts, was Head of Arts in 2020 and excelled as Eva Peron in our senior production musical Evita the same year.
Being able to choose a wide range of activities is what Georgina sees as a strength of the programmes at Rangi Ruru. The way staff work collaboratively to ensure that students are able to participate in activities that have clashing practices and events has also been a huge plus. Georgina also cites the teamwork aspect in the dance companies and production cast and crew, which promotes not only the collaborative onstage aspect of performance, but the opportunities to direct, choreograph, stagemanage, design and operate sound and light for performances.
The thrill of performance balanced with the enjoyment of the process have inspired Georgina to focus on a career in performing arts, with a move to Melbourne in 2021 to study Musical Theatre at Ministry of Dance with a full-ride scholarship, based on her impressive work in her first year.
THEATRE ARTS AT RANGI RURU
CURRICULUM
Drama is a timetabled subject in Year 7 and Years 9 to 13, with a focus at the senior levels on performance standards which assist students in preparing for external assessments. Our dance programme is a timetabled subject from Years 8 to 10.
C0-CURRICULAR
Several dance companies and clubs offer students opportunities in dance, drama and production outside of the timetabled classes from Years 7 to 13.
Students can audition for the Rimu Dance Company, Kōuka Dance Company (seniors), and Makomako Dance Company (juniors). There is also the Kawakawa Dance Company for Years 7 and 8 (no auditions required).
Other theatre arts clubs include Drama Club, Theatresports, and Illuminate who learn about and actively contribute to backstage and production elements of performance.
PRODUCTIONS
Each year we do a senior production and a junior production. Cast, crew and orchestra are made up of students, guided by our performing arts departments. For the senior production we rehearse and cast in early February and perform mid-year for five nights to sell-out crowds. The senior production for 2026, is an allRangi Ruru production of Once Upon a One More Time. The junior production takes place in November with auditions at the beginning of Term 3.
DANCE AND DRAMA EVENTS
We strongly encourage our groups to get involved with local, regional and national events. Together with our curriculum and school-based activities, these events combine to provide a robust array of opportunities and experiences for our students.
These events all have excellent adjudicators who provide specific feedback to performers.
Some examples of events include:
• Dance companies perform in the DanceNZ Made festival held in Christchurch. Dancers can choose to do solos or duo pieces, and much of the choreography is done by students themselves, with support from Kirsty Bell and Chloe Robertson.
• Shakespeare Festival
• Theatre Festival
• Theatre Sports competition
OUR ALUMNAE
EDEN COTTER-LONGWORTH
STAGE MANAGER AND CREW MEMBER
Eden Cotter-Longworth was an active member of the Rangi Ruru production team, even as a student. Their highlight Our House, our 2016 co-production with Christ’s College, inspired them to continue production work as a career. Eden says that ‘the senior production environment is the most wonderful family of staff and students.’
In their final year of school, they stage managed our senior production Revenge of the Amazons, assessing their work on that against the NCEA standards in Performing Arts Technology. Eden has returned to Christchurch to work as crew on events such as the buskers festival Bread and Circus
Having completed their Bachelor of Fine Arts in Production at Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Eden graduated into a Stage Management role with Michael Cassel Group on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and then moved into Deputy Company Manager on Hamilton for the Australia & Aotearoa Tour in 2022-2023. Once that tour wrapped up, Eden was offered the Deputy Company Manager role for the International Tour of Hamilton, travelling to Manila, Abu Dhabi and Singapore in its first year with more to come!
IMPORTANT DATES
FEBRUARY
Sign-ups for dance and drama clubs.
MARCH
Otago University Sheilah Winn Regional Shakespeare Festival
MAY
Senior Production, Once Upon A One More Time
JUNE
Otago University Sheilah Winn National Shakespeare Festival
Years 7 & 8 Showcase
AUGUST
DanceNZMade Regional Festival
Local TheatreFest
Auditions for the junior production
Regional TheatreFest
SEPTEMBER
DanceNZMade National Festival
Dance Showcase
National TheatreFest
OCTOBER
Arts Showcase
NOVEMBER
Junior production performed
OUR EXPERTISE
Kirsty Bell
Trained in dance in New Zealand and internationally, Bachelor of Arts in History from The University of Canterbury with a minor in Theatre and Film and Gender Studies
Director of Theatre Arts
k.bell@rangiruru.school.nz
Chelsea Cope
BPA - Bachelor of Performing Arts, majoring in musical theatre, Grad.Dip.Tchng
Head of Learning Area - Performing Arts (on Maternity Leave) c.cope@rangiruru.school.nz
Chloe Robertson
BPA - Bachelor of Performing Arts, majoring in musical theatre, Grad.Dip.Tchng
Head of Learning Area - Performing Arts (Maternity Cover)
c.robertson@rangiruru.school.nz
Jacqui Griffith
B.A., DipTchg., ICDL
Teacher of Drama and Dance
j.griffith@rangiruru.school.nz
59 Hewitts Road
Christchurch 8014
New Zealand
For further information contact
T +64 3 983 3700
E enrolments@rangiruru.school.nz