Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi,
engari he toa takitini
‘My strength is not that of a
single warrior but that of many.’
about us
stageantics
From small beginnings in Auckland in 2017, stageantics has developed quickly over the past five years and being part of the StageAntics whanau is a ‘hot ticket’ with:
Weekly lessons (private and group) are available at four locations across Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland) and on zoom;
Holiday Show in a Week programmes are available throughout the year;
Concerts and performance opportunities throughout the year.
emma bishop
founder/managing director
Emma is a well-known theatre and education practitioner in Aotearoa.
Growing up in theatre Emma spent her first act in Dunedin as an active member of both Opera Otago and Dunedin Operatic, with highlights being performing in the 1994 Consortium of Les Miserables and 1995 Merry Widow with Dame Malvina Major.
Here Emma attended Otago University as a voice student of Honor McKellar.
The second act saw her relocate to Nelson to attend performing arts school as it became apparent that musical theatre was her number one passion. Here highlights included gaining a Diploma in Performing Arts (Musical Theatre) and playing Columbia in The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the Nelson Arts Festival in 1998.
The third act saw Emma move to Auckland and train as a Primary kaiako specialising in Music Education followed by gaining a Masters in Dance Education at The University of Auckland. Emma spent 15 years as a full-time educator before leaving fulltime teaching in 2017 to set up her own performing arts company StageAntics which offers training in all areas of theatre in Invercargill, Queenstown, Wellington and Auckland. Under this umbrella Emma also created corporate entertainment group Queen_St with a kaupapa of providing quality performance as well as giving back to the community with each event having a giveback portion.
Emma is also half of the team producing KickArts the weekly arts radio show on Planet FM 104.6
Emma’s vast experience, both on and off stage, has not only seen her nominated for and winning a number of theatre awards but also elected into a number of national positions including being: the current President of Musical Theatre NZ and a Life Member and past President of Drama NZ, the National Subject Association for Drama in Education.
Emma’s passion for youth performing arts saw her appointed in 2016 as the National Coordinator of Junior Theatre New Zealand . In this role she coordinated the annual Junior Theatre Festival New Zealand and associated Pilot Programme until 2021.
In 2022 she took over the Junior Theatre mantle for Aotearoa and is now producing the year round events which include pilot programmes, workshops, celebration days and festivals.
Emma has also on numerous occassions travelled to the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, West, Europe and Australia as an adjudicator and tutor.
matthew farnell
tutor
Matthew is a recent graduate of the New Zealand National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art (NASDA) with a Bachelor of Performing Arts. He has been performing since the age of 5, making his professional debut in Frankenstein at The Court Theatre in Christchurch in 2021. As part of his research project, Matthew created a show entirely in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), performing it at the Ignite Festival.
His stage credits include; On The Town (NASDA), The Book of Everything (NASDA), and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (NASDA), Les Misérables (Youth Theatreworks), Pride and Prejudice (Saint Kentigern College), Phantom of the Opera (Saint Kentigern College), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Saint Kentigern College), Whistle Down the Wind (Papakura Theatre Company, Romeo & Juliet (Papakura Theatre Company).
Matthew also appeared in I Am… (Screentime NZ) in 2018.
Matthew is also an experienced stage manager, having stage managed shows for Saint Kentigern College, University of Canterbury's DramaSoc, and Showbiz Christchurch's ‘WayOff Broadway’ Concerts.
Matthew is an established StageAntics whanau member having been involved for a number of years assisting with holiday programmes as well as stage managing and performing in ‘What’s in the Box?” 2021 Showcase and working on Junior Theatre Festival NZ as Stage Manager.