Co-curricular profiles
HUGO ZANKER Acting Director of Music
HANNAH CLARKSON Director of Drama Hannah Clarkson is the Director of Drama at Christ’s College, where she has been inspiring students for the past five years. With a career spanning more than two decades in performing arts education, she brings a wealth of
Hugo Zanker holds a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning from the University of Canterbury, a Masters of Music in cello performance from Freiburg Music University in Germany, and a Bachelor of Music (Hons) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts, UC. Alongside his cello performance skills, Hugo has experience in leading contemporary, classical (solo, chamber, and orchestral music), choral (traditional and contemporary), and jazz ensembles (big band). He has also been involved in sound design, music technology, and composition. Hugo joined College from Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School, having been Head of Music and Head of Digital Technologies.
experience and passion to her role. Before joining Christ’s College, Hannah spent 15 years at Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, where she held multiple positions, including teacher, dean, and co-ordinator of wellbeing. Her extensive background in theatre includes directing and choreographing numerous acclaimed productions, including Anything Goes , Cats , Evita , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr ., and West Side Story . Hannah is committed to fostering a dynamic and inclusive Drama Department, providing a diverse range of opportunities for boys to engage in the performing arts. Under her leadership, boys at Christ’s College can participate in classroom drama, major productions, speech and drama, dance, theatresports, the National Shakespeare Festival, the NZ Dance Made competition, and a drama tour to London. She is passionate about nurturing creativity, confidence, and collaboration, ensuring that every student can discover more about themselves while exploring the world of performance.
NIKKI BLEYENDAAL Assistant Director of Drama/Theatresports Head of Teaching and Learning
Nikki has relished being part of the Drama Department in a variety of roles over the past decade, and now brings her skills and experiences to her role as the Assistant Director of Drama. Whether she is teaching in the classroom, coaching Theatresports, facilitating the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival or directing productions, Nikki always revels in the joys and challenges provided by the dynamic and collaborative world of the Performing Arts. She directed the junior plays Puffs (2024), with Shannon Small, and Rainbow’s Ending (2022), and co-directed Peter Pan for the 2023 senior production. She also works as a Teaching Artist at The Court Theatre, was a director for Original Scripts Theatre
School, and has directed and performed with the Top Dog Theatre Company for more than a decade, notably at the Isaac Theatre Royal as Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing , and, most recently, as Buckingham in Richard III for their outdoor Summer Shakespeare. Nikki’s other roles at Christ’s College include coaching as a Head of Teaching and Learning, and a mentor in Somes House.
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