Q: What are you doing for the Festival of Colour?
A: [Being production manager] basically entails organising all the technical aspects of Riverside Drive.
So in the last week, I've attended rehearsals and been organising a motorbike we needed for the piece. I've helped set up the lighting and sound gear, I've picked up props and done little jobs like going to New World to get more batteries and stuff like that. Also, I am operating the lighting [during production].
Q: Why do you love this job?
A: Riverside Drive has been absolutely amazing, getting a chance to work with [director] Sara Brodie, who knows so much. She's shown me how to do budgets ... she's shown me a lighting design plan and how to set it out.
I've read the script three or four times and it is such an amazing script. Also, it's the chance of seeing something different. I've never worked on a piece like this before. When you work in theatre, it's a real adrenaline rush.
Q: What will you do next?
A: Before I started Riverside Drive I was helping with drama classes and [teacher] Anna Shaw at MAC [Mt Aspiring College] and I want to go back and help out with their major production this year. I am also in the beginning stages of writing a script ...
That's been a bit different. I've never done anything like that before.
Hopefully, the phone will starting ringing and I will get more work in production. With Blue Moon (Kahu Youth's alcohol-free dance party project), we got a grant from the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand for our whole year's expenses.
So we've set up a committee and are in the beginning stages of planning our first party for this year. It's going to happen about mid-May ... and I want to go to university and do a bachelor of performing arts management
... I really do feel this is what I want to be doing with my life."
