Toi Whakaari

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Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand’s foremost training establishment for the dramatic arts. Toi Whakaari offers students the chance to study for a:

Master of Theatre Arts in Directing (taught jointly with Victoria University of Wellington)
Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting)
Bachelor of Performing Arts (Management)
Bachelor of Performance Design
NZ and Advanced Diplomas in Entertainment Technology
Diploma in Costume Construction for Theatre, Film and Allied Industries

On average the School now caters for upwards of 140 students annually, who study for up to four years each.

Toi Whakaari was established in 1970 by the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council.

On average, 200 New Zealanders audition for the school each year from around the country. 48 of these are invited for a recall audition and further questioning before the panel selects the 22 first years. This means makes it a very hard school to get into.

You can catch the dilemma and the pressure of the school's requirements by watching the documentary Tough Act produced by the Gibson Group of the 2005 first year students and how they ended by in the school.

[edit] Graduates

To date Toi Whakaari has graduated around 500 people. Some of NZ's most famous actors graduated from Toi Whakaari, including Cliff Curtis, Marton Csokas, Kerry Fox, Peter Land, Robyn Malcolm, Mark Ruka, Jacob Rajan, Rawiri Paratene, Matthew Sunderland, Lani Tupu, Tandi Wright, Miriama McDowell, Tim Foley, Marama Emery and Tim Balme.

Other grads include one of the executive producers of South Pacific Pictures (Simon Bennett), the artistic directors of the Melbourne Theatre Company (Simon Phillips) and Downstage (Catherine Downes); the event managers of The Edge (Glen Crighton) and Stage Challenge (Laura Staples).

Directors who have graduated from Toi Whakaari include award winning animated film makers (Veialu Aila-Unsworth - Blue Willow), award winning devised theatre directors (Jade Eriksen - Penumbra, Arcane, Migrant Nation), radio producers (Justin Gregory - Radio NZ National) and main stream theatre (Rachel More - Circa, Downstage, Fortune) and opera (Jacqui Coats - The Magic Flute) directors.

In terms of the backstage, design and technical aspects of performing arts Toi Whakaari graduates include Nigel Scott - a triple Oscar winner for sound editing (Lord of the Rings, King Kong), the lighting and sound operator on a cruise liner in the Caribbean, the lighting designer for icebergs in the Antarctic and Nicole Cosgrove - who was a model maker for King Kong and works as a freelance theatre designer.