An insight into Christ's College

HANNAH CLARKSON Director of Drama Hannah took on the leadership of Drama in 2021 after 15 years in charge of Dance and as a Drama teacher and Dean at Rangi Ruru Girls’ School. With a Bachelor of Education

NIKKI BLEYENDAAL Assistant Director of Drama / Theatresports Nikki has relished being part of the Drama Department in a variety of roles over the past 10 years, and now brings her skills and experiences to her latest role as the

with specialisation in Performing Arts, Hannah is an experienced choreographer who grew up dancing, and later branched out into musical theatre and acting. She has worked on many joint Christ’s College/ Rangi Ruru Girls’ School productions, with the most recent being 2020’s blockbuster, Evita, 2021’s Fame and 2022’s spectacular Light at the End of the Tunnel. She plans to feature both drama and musical theatre through alternating productions for both junior and senior students. This year, there will be the senior production of Peter Pan in May, followed by a junior musical in November. On top of this, there are many other opportunities for boys with the Shakespeare Festival, NZ Dance Made national competition, Theatre Festival, House Plays, Theatresports and the Dance Company as a winter sport.

Assistant Director of Drama. Whether she is teaching in the classroom, coaching Theatresports, supervising the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival or directing the junior or senior productions, Nikki always revels in the joys and challenges provided by the dynamic and collaborative world of the Performing Arts. Last year, she directed the junior play, Rainbow’s Ending , and is this year co-directing Peter Pan for the 2023 senior production. She also works as a director at Original Scripts Theatre School and has both directed and performed with the Top Dog Theatre Company for more than a decade. She was last seen on the Isaac Theatre Royal stage as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Nikki’s other roles at Christ’s College include coaching as a Head of Teaching & Learning, and a mentor in Somes House.

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