In the holidays I attended National Youth Drama School (NYDS) in Hastings, which I applied to and fundraised for last year. It was an incredible opportunity to develop my skills in acting, singing, and dancing alongside other teenagers from across the country. I was placed in their Musical Theatre class, but there were a variety of other classes on offer, such as Screen Acting, Improv, Playwriting, Songwriting, Technical Stream, and many more, catering to a wide range of interests and talents.

Throughout the week, I took part in intensive classes every day, where we worked towards a final sharing of our work, performed at the Toitoi Arts & Events Centre, a beautiful venue in the heart of Hastings. My class was made up of 35 students, and together we worked on a shortened version of The Outsiders, the musical adaptation of the well-known novel by S. E. Hinton. Our focus was not only on learning lines and songs but also on understanding what it means to work as an ensemble — building trust, connection, and energy between performers. We spent time developing our characters, learning choreography, and working on harmonies, all while supporting one another through the challenges that came with preparing a show in such a short amount of time. It was an intense, rewarding experience that pushed me creatively and helped me meet people with the same interests as me.

I met so many amazing people who did nothing but support me, other students, and the tutors. With over 250 people at NYDS, I believe it had more students than Twizel Area School, which was definitely a bit of a culture shock. After getting dinner at night, we would go to a theatre and watch a show. In total, we had four shows before Sharing of Work night, plus our two nights off. We watched a drag show intended to teach small children about the weather, performed by the Drag tutor. We watched a stand-up comedy show from the Stand-Up tutor, a Tutors' Night where a selection of tutors performed whatever they wanted to, and a Students' Night, where students could audition and perform a variety of acts.

Overall, it was probably one of the best weeks of my life. I knew it was going to be expensive, but I am so grateful to the school for helping me through STAR funding and giving me the opportunity to go to Timaru and get a scholarship. Without the help from these, and the people in the community who gave me money, I wouldn’t have been able to go, and I am so grateful to everyone who helped me.

Mackenzie Dunnicliff