Student joins theatre company
Another Ka¯ piti student is finding success within the New Zealand Shakespeare scene.
On July 6 Loren Whithair will be heading to The Globe Theatre in London with another 23 students selected from around New Zealand as part of the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand’s Young Shakespeare Company (SGCNZ YSC).
A dancer since she was 3 years old, Loren became involved with theatre in her first year at Ka¯ piti College and hasn’t looked back.
“Dance was always my thing and it just spread into other performing arts.
“I always had a passion for dance but because I was given so many opportunities drama developed into something I was really interested in.”
Loren began acting and directing Sheilah Winn pieces and was chosen in her last year at Ka¯ piti College to be one of 50 students selected from the regional and national finals to be part of the National Shakespeare Schools Production (NSSP).
From there Loren was selected into the company.
“It’s quite a big thing to get in. I was shaking when I got the call,” she said.
“A few thousand students compete in the Sheilah Winn festival each year and all want to get in.”
Having never been to Europe before, seeing The Globe Theatre is top of the list for Loren.
“Seeing The Globe will be really, really cool and getting to see the performances there will also be pretty cool.
“The first couple of weeks will be a lot of workshops and rehearsing and in the evenings we will be seeing plays in London.”
Loren is currently studying a Bachelor of Science at Victoria University with the hopes of being able to continue acting and dancing while studying for more of a “stock standard day job”.
The trip is fully self-funded with Loren receiving funding from Kapiti Rotary, Waikanae Lions, Kapiti Playhouse, Ka¯ piti Coast District Council and the Wellington Shakespeare Society towards the trip costs.
Kent Edward Norris from Paraparaumu College has also just been named in the NSSP for this year after his success at the national festival.
Kent was ‘over the moon’ upon finding out.
“I had actually missed a call from a number I didn’t recognise when my phone was on silent,” he said. “I decided to ring it back and was pleasantly surprised that it was Dawn Sanders who straight away offered me a place in the NSSP.”
This is Kent’s second year making it into the NSSP with his goal this year to make it into YSC like Loren but also to learn vital performing skills regardless of whether he makes it in.
“There are two main things I’m hoping to get out of the week and that is skills I can take into a performers life, and secondly a sense of teamwork.”