The PAYPA Board
We advocate for the TYA Sector.
The PAYPA board and charitable trust was established in 2019 by Tim Bray, QSM, Lynne Cardy, Kerryn Palmer, Marianne Taylor and Jenny Wake, to unite the TYA sector and champion performing arts for/by/with children and young people.
The board currently meet regularly via zoom and once annually in person. The following individuals are the current board members of PAYPA.
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Kerryn Palmer
PAYPA Facilitator
Victoria University of Wellington / Independent Practitioner
Kerryn is a Wellington-based freelance director, producer and teacher of drama. She has a PhD in devising theatre for and with young audiences. Since 2015 she has taught regularly in Victoria University’s theatre programme and teaches short courses in devising and directing at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. She is the coordinator for the MFA (Creative Practice) in Theatre at Victoria University and producer of the annual Six Degrees Festival.
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Beth Barclay
PAYPA Administrator
Beth is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts programme at Victoria University in Theatre and an experienced touring and festival producer.
As the co-producer of TAHI: New Zealand Festival of Solo Performance, Beth lives in the world of spreadsheets and contracts - to make creative projects get off their feet.
Beth is also the administrator for the Wellington Theatre Awards and is the creative producer of HATCH - a development programme for students across the three tertiary drama institutions in Wellington (Victoria University of Wellington, Toi Whakaari and Te Auaha). Beth also works in the corporate events sector on projects like Eat Drink Play.
With experience working on national touring productions as the associate producer of Capital E for three years, Beth is extremely passionate about bringing high quality theatre and performance to younger audiences and making work with emerging artists. Her previous works include Seasons, The Lost Letter Office, LEGEND and The Glitter Garden.
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Tim Bray, QSM
Tim Bray Theatre Company
Tim is the Founder and Artistic Director of Tim Bray Theatre Company (TBTC), Aotearoa's oldest theatre company for children. He founded the company (then known as The Central Theatre) in 1991, and for over 30 years has produced over 100 professional theatre productions. A focus is on accessibility - TBTC was the first theatre company in the country to offer NZ Sign Language interpreted shows in 2004; in 2015 it began offering Audio Described shows; and in 2019, Sensory Relaxed performances started. For many years, with the support of donors and funders, it has provided free tickets through its Gift a Seat™ programme. In 2020, the company was awarded the Arts Access Creative New Zealand Arts for All Award
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Lynne Cardy
Independent Practitioner
Lynne is a creative producer, director, and programmer with 35 years’ experience in professional theatre. She has worked throughout Aotearoa and in the UK as a theatre-maker and teaching artist, supporting creative collaborations and championing the voices of young people. Lynne is committed to creating inclusive, dynamic programs that foster imagination and bring people together and she recently took up the new role of Artistic Director at Capital E's National Theatre for Children. For over a decade Lynne was the Associate Director at Auckland Theatre Company where she designed their highly regarded creative learning program, including the Mythmakers touring project, produced over 30 original works for young audiences, and supported the career development of emerging artists.
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Sacha Copland
Java Dance Theatre
Sacha Copland is the artistic director of Java Dance Theatre. She founded Java after graduating from the NZ School of Dance in 2003. Sacha dances and choreographs prolifically, touring to Singapore, Australia, China, South Korea and the UK. Sacha was awarded the 2019-21 Creative NZ Choreographic Fellowship and recently made the critically acclaimed Artisan Series. She has performed and produced 23 seasons of Back of the Bus, a dance show on a moving bus, all over the world.
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Nicola Hyland
Dr Nicola Hyland (Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi and Ngāti Hauiti) is a Senior Lecturer in Theatre at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Nicola's research investigates Māori performance and theatre, Indigenous performance and popular culture, intersections of youth, gender and sexuality in Indigenous performance, and affect and wairua in performance. Nicola has worked as a director, dramaturg and collaborative practitioner of devised performance work in Aotearoa and Australia, as well as roles as script adviser and cultural consultant. As a practitioner, she is committed to integrating tikanga Māori in the rehearsal space and advocating for decolonised and indigenised approaches to theatre-making.
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Melanie Luckman
Cubbin Theatre Company
Melanie Luckman is a theatre director based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. Cubbin Theatre Company is her brainchild, coming from a desire for specific theatrical experiences for her own young children. Mel wanted to create Cubbin because children deserve beautiful creative experiences to feed their souls and their imaginations just as much as grown ups do. Some of her inspirations in creating this work include Magda Gerber and Janet Lansbury, Replay Theatre Belfast, Julie Wylie, and her own children Milo and Fox.
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Jenny Wake
Calico Young People’s Theatre
Jenny Wake is the founder and artistic director of Calico Young People’s Theatre, specialising in professional theatre for young audiences and in theatre with young performers. She is a writer, director, producer and educator, with an MA in Children’s Theatre and a career encompassing theatre, television and museum education. She directed and produced best-loved children’s TV series Play School and has created and toured professional theatre productions to schools throughout New Zealand. Currently Napier-based, she works with primary schools around the North Island, providing resources and support for whole-school productions.
Working Groups
In addition to the PAYPA Board, there are seven key working groups involving TYA practitioners/PAYPA members.
Songs of The Sea. Capital E National Theatre for Children. Photo Stephen A’Court.
Recognition and Valuing
PAYPA Board Member - Lynn Cardy
Team - Bridget Sanders
Talita Archibald
David Rumney
How do we raise perceptions of the value of TYA and ensure performing arts companies and practitioners working for/with children and young people are valued, celebrated and fairly remunerated?
Tasks Include: engaging with funding bodies and mainstream media, as well as tertiary institutions to encourage emerging artists to consider TYA as a rewarding career choice. The curation and application of the annual Peter Wilson Award for Excellence in TYA.
Youth Participation
How can we engage with tamariki and rangatahi to inform and inspire us, and to ensure that they are at the heart of the work we do? How can PAYPA support the work of youth theatre practitioners and companies?
Tasks Include: establishing a PAYPA youth advisory panel and investigating the possibility of PAYPA acting as a partner and umbrella organisation for a Youth Theatre network run by and for youth theatre practitioners.
PAYPA Board Member - Beth Barclay
Team - Sam Scott
Juliet Cottrell
Professional Development
What practical steps can we take to promote and inspire excellence in TYA?
Tasks Include: workshops, mentoring, practical guides and other resources.
PAYPA Board Member - Kerryn Palmer, Mel Luckman
Team - Sam Phillips
Annah Jacobs
Access and Inclusion
How can we ensure that every tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa have access to high quality performing arts experiences, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, cultural identity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, and despite economic, social, geographical or other barriers?
Tasks Include: dialogue and partnerships with other organisations such as festivals, venues, schools, government agencies, Arts Access Aotearoa, etc.
PAYPA Board Member - Tim Bray
Team - Olivia Flanagan
Etta Bollinger
Jenny McArthur
PAYPA Funding & Administration
What do we need to do to ensure PAYPA’s ongoing welfare and viability? How can we support other TYA organisations to become financially sustainable?
Tasks Include: working with funding organisations and identifying potential sponsorship opportunities.
PAYPA Board Members- Beth Barclay, Lynn Cardy, Tim Bray
ASSITEJ
How can we make the most of our affiliation with ASSITEJ? –
Tasks Include: exploring the possibility of hosting an ASSITEJ Executive Committee meeting and bidding to host an Artistic Gathering or World Congress. Also includes ensuring PAYPA is represented at other ASSITEJ events and meeting our obligations as New Zealand’s National Centre for ASSITEJ.
PAYPA Board - Jenny Wake, Sacha Copland, Kerryn Palmer
Team - Hannah Smith
Kathiy Watson
Connecting
What avenues can we use to connect TYA artists and practitioners with each other, for support, dialogue and inspiration? What avenues can we use to promote the work of PAYPA members beyond the PAYPA community?
Tasks Include: newsletters, website, online calendar of events, social media, Zoom hui, sharing of New Zealand and international news and opportunities, mentoring and other ways of actively supporting each other as a community of artists and practitioners. Also includes identifying and reaching out to practitioners not yet engaging with PAYPA, with a particular focus on South Island, regional, Māori and Pasifika engagement.
PAYPA Board Member - Jenny Wake and Mel Luckman
Team - Beth Kayes
Jacob Cleghorn
We welcome any members who would like to contribute to our working groups. Please click the button below to express your interest.