New Zealand's National Youth Drama School, or NYDS, is an experience like no other. For ages 14-19, it’s an eight-day immersive course located in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, during the first week of the school holidays. With sixteen different classes to choose from, ranging from Technical Stream to Screen Acting and even Circus Skills and Clowning, there’s likely to be something that piques your interest.
This past April, I had the pleasure of attending NYDS for the second time. Both times I have attended, I have done the musical theatre class and have enjoyed it immensely. Throughout the week, each class works towards performing a ‘Sharing of Work’ held on the seventh day. Note that it is called a sharing of work rather than a performance because the pieces that get presented aren’t supposed to be polished performances. Instead, they are supposed to provide insight into what can be done when given a longer time than a week. Each class either performs during the festival day or during the evening show held at the Toitoi: Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre.
The festival day is exactly what it sounds like. Around six of the classes are held during the day and from 11:00 am - 3:30 pm every half hour a new block of work begins. You can walk around the theatre watching a combination of Circus, Shakespeare, Improv Comedy, Playwriting, Songwriting, and Voice for the Performer. The sharings then start again at 7:00 pm and go through till 9:00 pm, showing the remaining classes including Musical Theatre, Stand Up Comedy, Advanced Acting/Directing, Dance and Choreo, Stage Combat, and the Drag School class as the big finish before it gets wrapped up with the school song that the students learn throughout the week. Throughout the evening performance, the Tech Stream students get to showcase their skills by running the behind-the-scenes of the show with assistance from their tutors.
“The best, most deliciously exhausting week of the year.” - Aeon Smith-Scott, 16, Beginner Tech.
“Nothing but 10/10. Great training, great results.” - Callum
Pearce, 15, Stage Combat
The amazing Tessa Livingston, who has voiced countless ads, was the tutor for Voice for the Performer. Sam Brooks, the journalist and pla
The classes are each taught by a tutor who works in the industry themselves: the songwriting tutor is New Zealand’s very own Edin Iris, the Stand Up tutor is kiwi comedian James Nokise and one of the Screen Acting tutors is Will Wallace, who you might recognise from Shortland Street among other movies and TV shows. One of the Stage Combat tutors is Allen Henry, who has worked both on and off screen for many movies, including the recent A Minecraft Movie, where he worked alongside Jack Black, helping off-screen.
ywright, was the tutor for Playwriting, and George Fowler, also known as Hugo Grrrl, was the tutor for the Drag School.
“I learnt a lot about playwriting from my wonderful tutor Sam Brookes and got to explore the craft in a way I normally wouldn't be able to. It was amazing to be able to finally get my ideas onto a page with the help of Sam, and then to share it with others was an opportunity that felt so rewarding.” - Mikyla Jelliman, 17, Playwriting.
For my Musical Theatre class, I had the honour of being taught by Trace Tidd and Peter Tihema as our vocal coach/accompanist. I learnt so much from them both this year and last, ranging from vocal tips and tricks to how to be more confident on stage. Each year after NYDS, I don’t only feel confident on stage but also within myself, knowing that there are others out there who can match my weird, theatre kid energy. Along with Trace and Pete teaching me skills for the theatre, my classmates were also a huge support system. Not long after meeting, it felt like everyone was a big family, each of us giving each other advice, tips, and encouragement to each other almost constantly. Despite any mishaps that happened on or off the stage, we were there for each other, whether that meant as a shoulder to cry on or as someone to laugh it off with.
“I have taught the Musical Theatre Stream at NYDS since 2014 and been on the board of trustees since 2021. There are so many reasons to love NYDS and to keep returning each year! For me, one of the main ones is that I am a firm believer in the power of the performing arts - to educate, to empower, to connect and to inspire.
You only have to look at our alumni to see that NYDS plays such an important part in the performing arts landscape of New Zealand!
More specifically, I love Musical Theatre as a storytelling medium.
Music is so expressive and emotive. Couple the power of music with the magic of theatre and the results can be explosive!” - Trace Tidd, Musical Theatre Tutor.
Now, obviously, the whole of New Zealand's theatre kid population doesn't live in Hawke’s Bay, so why have it there of all places? Why not have it in a big city like Wellington or Auckland? Well, that’s because it wasn't always called the National Youth Drama School. In fact, back when it opened in 1991 it was simply called the Hawke’s Bay Youth Drama School, but after having so many applicants from all over the country the name got changed to what it is today; the National Youth Drama School. But because students are coming from all over the country, and not all of them will have a relative that lives in the area, NYDS arranges billets across the area of Havelock and even some in Napier as well as having a hostel a five-minute walk away from campus at the intermediate school, Hereworth. The students who are staying in the hostel get provided with both breakfast and dinner throughout the week, and they sleep in the dormitory divided by sex. The students who billet, myself included, get provided with breakfast and sometimes even a packed lunch if you’re lucky enough. The sleeping arrangements can vary, but typically you sleep in some sort of bed, either sharing a room or getting the room to yourself, depending on the size of the house.
When I billeted for NYDS this year, I shared a room with someone who is now like a little sister to me, and down the hall slept two other students. While the idea of being around theatre kids 24/7 for 8 days sounds like a great way to drain your social battery, I found that it was really easy to be around my roommate and anyone else I encountered at NYDS. There was an excitement in the air, but also an understanding that people would feel nervous, overwhelmed, homesick, or just not quite comfortable yet. NYDS is a place where everyone can just be themselves with no expectations other than ‘be the best version of you’ and that is what made it so special for me and everyone else that attended.
“NYDS is a place of acceptance. Where people from diverse spaces come as one to share knowledge about performing arts. Personally, it was an opportunity to find my belonging, to find people with similar pathways and aspirations.” - Daejan Tutaki, 16, Screen Acting.
And so, I’m sad to say my time at the National Youth Drama School has come to an end once again. I can’t help but reminisce over the memories the week has provided. To me, and I’m sure many other students will agree, NYDS wasn’t just a school holiday program that taught you drama, it was a community that we were all fortunate enough to be a part of. It's something that’s going to stay with us for a long time, whether the moments that get remembered are the adrenaline-filled ones on stage or the quiet connections made behind the curtains.