Ten Year Annie-versary

Ten Year Annie-versary

Ten years is a long time to head up an organisation – especially one as vital as Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, but it’s a task that Annie Ruth continues to relish.

“On April 28th I will have been Director of Toi Whakaari for ten years,” said Annie. “It’s been a wonderful and wild challenge, in a place that really feels like home to me.”

Before taking over from Robyn Payne as Director, Annie was the Head of Acting for six years and was one of the third cohort of actors to graduate from the School in the early 1970s.

“So in my time at Toi Whakaari it’s gone from an acting school with two and a half tutors and a librarian to a drama school with degree level courses for actors, stage and screen designers and performing arts managers, a masters course for directors and diploma level qualifications for techs and costumiers.”

“We’ve also multiplied our focus on film tenfold and really put the school on the map internationally – which is a really exciting amount of change and development,” said Annie.

Annie’s time at the School include such highlights as moving into the purpose-built Te Whaea building; the Prime Minister, Helen Clarke, visiting the school and announcing a much needed funding increase in 2005; twice representing Toi Whakaari at international directing school LaMaMa in Umbria and Toi Whakaari being awarded the Absolutely Creatively Wellington Award in 2004.

“On a more personal level I am really proud of directing Small Lives Big Dreams in 2005 and Troilus and Cressida in 2003. Both broke boundaries in different ways and used the whole creative team to bring about something really special. They’re also both productions that would have been well nigh impossible to mount anywhere else in Aotearoa because of the sheer number of collaborators involved,” said Annie.

“I am so proud to work alongside such a wonderful, talented and rigorous group of tutors,” said Annie. “They are what turn this place into a taonga for NZ.”

ENDS

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