About 250 students from across New Zealand took centre stage in Hawke’s Bay for the National Youth Drama School (NYDS), an intensive eight-day programme now in its 35th year.
Held annually in Havelock North, the programme, which was founded in 1991 by local drama teacher Ken Keys, has grown into a nationally recognised initiative.
Artistic director Ben Fagan first attended NYDS as a teenager and returned years later as an assistant tutor before stepping into the top role.
“It’s amazing how much the programme has stayed the same. But teenagers have changed a lot,” Fagan said.
“They’re so much more connected, and they understand so much of what’s going on in the world. They’re so mature.”
Each year, students choose a main discipline while also taking part in shorter “taster” classes.
The week finishes in a series of performances, held over the weekend, showcasing what they have learned.
This year’s theme, “power”, ran throughout the programme, encouraging students to reflect on their voice and role in an increasingly complex world.
“I wanted to empower these students to claim their power, to know how they can make a difference in the world, even when scary world events are happening, and it all seems out of our control,” he said.
“Actually, what we teach in a place like this is not a nice-to-have, it’s a vital antidote to everything that’s happening in the world.”
The programme has been part of the history of many major names in the national scenario, including New Zealand activist and former Green Party MP Gareth Hughes, Napier’s National MP Katie Nimon, and international comedian and writer James Nokise, who has now been a tutor in the programme for two years.
Nokise led the stand-up comedy class and said the discipline offered a unique way to explore the theme of power.
“Part of comedy is speaking truth to power,” he said.
“It’s getting students to think about what the power structures are around them, what are the people who have power, and then showing them how comedy can make those people less intimidating.
“That’s the real gift of comedy. It can take very scary things and make them seem less scary.”
Havelock North High School student Thomas Heaps, 17, is in his third year attending the programme.
He is taking musical theatre as his main class and has also tried improv comedy as part of the taster sessions.
“It’s been really inspiring hearing from people who have gone down similar paths that I’m looking to go down,” he said.
Heaps wants to pursue a creative career in film or modelling, and said the programme was helping him build confidence and broaden his skills.
“NYDS is a great place to hone those skills and become an all-rounder.”