John Tui (far right) shares his experiences as a professional actor with participants, supported by grad and actor Melissa Cameron and Lecturer Will Wallace
Nearly 200 high school students attended four Creative Industries workshops during the semester break with a great response from everyone involved.
In the first week of the semester break a team from Performing & Screen Art ran two ‘Screen Bites’ workshops, increased from one to two due to the high level of interest. The workshop provided students with the opportunity to learn about jobs in the film and television industry, and to combine creative and technical skills by writing, producing, shooting and editing a short project.
In the second week a two-day Introduction to Acting workshop was run by Unitec grads and actors, John Tui and Melissa Cameron, and School of Creative Industries Lecturer Will Wallace. It was very special to have Alumni on campus to inspire and guide the high school participants.
Dance students perform for friends and family at the end of their workshop, which included a contemporary piece with Lecturer Katie Burton and a kapa haka piece with Lecturer Charles Koroneho
Dance also catered to high school students during the break, with their annual Takurua Dance winter workshop. ‘Takurua’ is one of the brightest stars in the winter sky and the inspiration for the workshop programme, taking students through three days of contemporary technique, muscle and bone, repertoire, choreography and street dance. The event was targeted at senior secondary school students preparing to audition for our Dance programme.
At the end of the workshop the Dance students performed a contemporary piece with Lecturer Katie Burton and a kapa haka piece with Lecturer Charles Koroneho.
The feedback from students was really positive and reflected in a haka tribute at the end of the acting workshop. A big thank you to the Unitec Pathways College and Creative Industries team for their mahi in creating and delivering these workshops. These holiday events have inspired the participants and provided them with the opportunity to experience ‘life on campus’ and explore their career path.
Acting workshop students with their leads and inspiration (front centre); Melissa Cameron, (and to her right) Will Wallace and John Tui