The PAYPA Youth Subcommittee

Youth Subcommittee Leader

Jamie Yee is currently studying towards a conjoint BA(Hons) in Theatre and LLB at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington. Jamie sees theatre as a vessel for accessible and universal storytelling. He is currently the director of Encounter - a show at BATS as a part of the Six Degrees Festival. Encounter explores the experience and identity of early and modern Chinese New Zealanders in Aotearoa by way of a narrative walking tour through Wellington’s historical Chinatown. Combining his two interests in law and theatre, Jamie is passionate about arts governance and is excited for the opportunity to make change in the Arts while on the PAYPA Youth Subcommittee.

Elliott is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts (Theatre, Japanese)/Bachelor of Commerce (Management, Information Systems) conjoint at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington. He has also previously studied Dance at the University of Auckland. He was greatly involved in the Auckland performing arts community, performing at events across the North Island and leading his own dance group. He is now engaging with the theatre and dance communities in Wellington, and continues to perform across both Auckland and Wellington events. Elliott is passionate about creating spaces for youth and young adults to explore the performing arts in a safe and exciting way. 

Eli Hancock (he/they) is a 20-year-old theatre maker living in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara, working part-time, and as a theatre director/performer. A member of the SGCNZ 2023 Young Shakespeare Company, and a director and producer of Shakespeare's canon ever since, Eli has a commitment to creating engaging, generation-spanning work on stage. His work as a director and producer most recently included his BATS Theatre debut with The Life of Henry the Fifth. 

Co-Founding theatre company Shakespeare’s North Productions, now jointly run by Eli and his partner Gabby, the duo have completed many successful productions, aiming to engage with all ages and experience levels. Eli found his love for theatre through working in the local Palmerston North community, behind the scenes in a variety of roles, and his love for stage management, lighting and design extends into his work as a creative. 

Eli is extremely excited to be a member of the PAYPA Youth Subcommittee, with a commitment to nurturing the creative endeavours of rangatahi and tamariki in Aotearoa! 

See more from Eli and follow their work on Instagram and Facebook - look out for Shakespeare’s North Productions! 

Olesya is currently pursuing a conjoint BA (majoring in Theatre) and LLB at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington. Graduating from Rangitoto College in 2024 as NCEA Proxime Accessit, she was and continues to be extensively involved in arts leadership. She took on the role of Head of Tech Crew and was a member of the Arts Leadership team in her final year of college, while working in stage management roles with youth theatre companies in Auckland such as APAA and NYT. She is passionate about writing, directing, design, technical production and arts management, with hopes set on one day merging her academic interests in law with the creative practices of theatre. Olesya recognises the value of creative and cultural spaces for children and young people, believing that these opportunities should be equally available to everyone in Aotearoa.

Edie has been acting from the age of 5 and throughout her childhood in England and New Zealand she has been actively involved in a variety of youth theatres and acting classes. This included RADA and LAMDA examinations in the UK, as well as extensive involvement in the Wellington community theatre scene and RATA Studios. She was recently selected to be in the SGCNZ Young Shakespeare Company 2025, travelling to London for several weeks as one of 24 young actors to perform on the Globe Stage. She is now studying a double major BA in Classics and Theatre at Victoria University Wellington, and loves to combine her academic interests with her theatrical side. She is passionate about making performing arts spaces accessible for those from all walks of life and believes strongly in the transformative impact theatre can have on young people’s lives. She is excited to have this opportunity to get involved in arts governance and put her experience and ideas to good use.

Tom (he/him) is a Pōneke based, Ōtepoti raised Arts Producer with a passion for using storytelling to bring new audiences to the creative space. He graduated top of his Master of Fine Arts programme at Victoria University of Wellington in 2023, where he specialised in theatre production management and received the Dronke Prize for Drama.

Tom and another emerging Pōneke-based arts producer, Jimmy Williamson, started their company, Believable Arts Management, in 2023 to provide production management services to emerging artists and companies.

Since leaving university, Tom has written and produced multiple awards-winning works across theatre, dance, fashion, and music events. He co-wrote the Fringe award-winning play Antarctic Endeavours; Stage Managed the National Youth Drama School final showcase at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House; was nominated for Playmarket’s B425 Playwright’s award for his play Limbo; produced the multi Fringe Festival award-winning production We, The Outsiders, touring this to five cities both nationally and internationally; produced the award-winning three-part immersive rave event Entry; and produced Subversion, a dance-fashion-theatre outdoor performance at CubaDupa 2025, and the Vivienne Westwood Exhibition Closing Ceremony at Te Papa Museum.

He has performed and coordinated numerous projects across Pōneke, wider Aotearoa, and internationally. Lately, Tom is the newest Treasurer of the Ruff as Gutz Charitable Trust.