Author: Nicola

Reaching Out from the Inside

In partnership with the Department of Corrections, Voice Arts worked with young offenders to create and capture on film a collection of performances that reflect their hopes and aspirations; stories that explore what it takes for successful reintegration. This project provided young offenders with the opportunity to actively engage in a creative process that encourages and supports their development and offers them a public stage to perform not just who they are, but who they are seeking to become.

Supporting Strathmore

Another wonderful collaboration this time with the Eastern Suburbs Youth Trust, supporting the developing of youth in Strathmore. In this showcase they brought beautiful dance and song, we brought drama and playful storytelling.

She Danced on a Friday


It’s always good to take your own advice and when time allows, our facilitators do some wonderful creative work exploring their own histories. Our Artistic Director, Nicola Pauling has created the performance ‘She Danced on a Friday.’ It premiered in Hamilton last year to rave reviews and audience feedback and an instant invite for a return season. Read one of the reviews here.

Discovering Parihaka

It has been a very special journey working in partnership with Wellington East Girls College to support a diverse group of young women to explore the history and future of Parihaka. Voice Arts was privileged to host Maata Wharehoka from Parihaka in Wellington to spend time with the group, sharing with them her knowledge. We are now in the process of editing our final film documenting the experience and we will take that back to the Marae in the coming months.

Refugee Youth Wellbeing Project

We are delighted to be partnering with the fantastic organisation that is www.shiftnz.org to develop and deliver a wellbeing project specifically for and driven by teenage girls with refugee backgrounds.  We are incorporating a lot of play along with significant conversations aimed at helping these young women develop and grow.

NZ National Refugee Youth Council

 

 

Building relationships and building community through play! Voice Arts was invited to play with participants of the New Zealand Refugee Youth Council’s recent leadership conference. We’ll let these photos talk to the experience!

Moving from the stage to film


Our tenant drama group has begun a years focus on film. Following three successful devised performances the group was up for a new challenge, learning how to work in front and behind the camera. They’ll be supported to create their first short film which will premiere for the wider tenant community in December.

In A Minute Storytelling at the Winter Festival

Our cast of community performers gave three beautiful performances to visitors to the Hutt Winter Festival. The event was free and open to families.  Each audience member experienced a collection of minute stories told especially to them, one to one. Each story had a visual representation, a piece of art created especially for this event. It was a very special afternoon. Huge thanks to our performers and to the Hutt Winter Festival for their support of this fantastic project.

Parihaka – Lost and Found

Thanks to the Peace and Disarmament Education Trust, Voice Arts has funding to develop a network of partnerships to create a youth focused theatre project with participants from Wellington and Taranaki. Last year we visited Parihaka to seed this project, and we will be heading back there to start its growth.