City teeming with young talent
Speech, dance and song
New Zealand’s brightest young performers lit up the stage in Palmerston North with dances, drama and music.
From Friday to yesterday, the Globe Theatre, the Spiers Centre and The Regent were buzzing with hundreds of performers between 15 and 25 years old, as the National Young Performers awards were held in the city.
There were several sections, including drama and speech, highland dancing and instrumental performances, that were judged over three days.
Yesterday, the finals were held at The Regent, with more than 100 performers.
Palmerston North Boys’ High School pupil Digby Werthmuller, 16, made the finals in the speech and drama section – initially battling it out against 20 performers from as far as Auckland and Christchurch.
His performance, What Happens When You Don’t Belong, incorporated excerpts from books, including Wild Pork and Watercress, which is about two family members trying to survive in outback.
Werthmuller said his love of drama began in primary school and has grown since.
He takes drama at school as well as learning at Tall Poppies Drama School in his spare time.
This was the first year he was nominated for the national competition, which gave him the confidence to believe in himself, he said.
‘‘I never thought I was that good. I think it will help me in being able to achieve more.’’
Knowing he was good enough for a national competition sparked Werthmuller’s interest in speech and drama even more, he said.
Performing Arts Competition Association of New Zealand vicepresident Bronwyn Chalmers said winning or competing in the national competition was helpful for launching a career.
Many winners went overseas to perform or study, Chalmers said.
It was a female-dominated industry, but there were some men, such as Werthmuller, that did well, she said. ‘‘It’s definitely more girls. That’s the nature of arts in New Zealand.’’
If men had a passion for performance they should follow it at a young age, but many went down other paths, Chalmers said.