OUR COMMUNITY IMPACT
Transforming Lives Through the Power of Theatre
Tim Bray Theatre Company is on a mission to ignite the hearts and minds of children and young people across Tāmaki Makaurau, instilling in them boundless confidence and a spirit of creativity.
We are committed to embracing the vibrant tapestry of diversity, and championing inclusivity through providing live performances for all audiences and have developed a range of youth theatre programmes tailored to all tamariki and rangatahi with different needs.
Together with the generous support of both our donors and funders, we hope to leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all those who join our artistic journey.
As the following figures show, the impact of this can truly be life changing.
THE NUMBERS SAY IT ALL
OUR IMPACT SO FAR IN 2024:
8,934 children
and their teachers, parents, grandparents and caregivers
attended 55 performances
in 3 venues across Tāmaki Makaurau.
523
Young people enrolled in our Youth Theatre programmes.
1,947
Children enjoyed a life-enriching experience at our productions, thanks to Gift a Seat®.
63
Autistic and neuro-divergent children and teenagers enrolled in our Extraordinarily Creative drama classes.
12
Mary Amoore Gift a Seat® Youth Theatre scholarships were provided for children and teenagers.
12
Students took part in a collaborative project with Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education and Creatives in Schools to empower Deaf students to perform.
11
Different accessible performances were offered to cater for impaired, disabled and neuro-diverse audiences.
271
Children and adults accessed NZ Sign Language, Audio Described and Sensory Relaxed performances.
2024 – THE YEAR TO DATE
Ensuring Inclusivity and Embracing Diversity: Our Unwavering Commitment
This year so far has been an exhilarating journey filled with remarkable achievements.
Four spectacular productions
In 2024 we are bringing to Tāmaki Makaurau four spectacular productions to excite and delight the young and the young at heart.
We started the year with The Great Piratical Rumbustification by Margaret Mahy, achieving over 70% in ticket sales over the three venues in Takapuna, Manukau and Māngere.
We will be bringing joy and excitement to the audiences with the next three shows: Five Go on an Adventure , Mrs Wishy Washy and The Santa Claus Show ’24 .
In the latter half of our year, we will bring joy and excitement to the audiences with our last two shows Roald Dahl’s The Twits and The Santa Claus Show ’23.
Our Gift a Seat® programme enabled students from BLENNZ (Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ), Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education and Wilson School to attend our accessible performances. In addition, Make-A-Wish families, and schools that require support from across Tāmaki Makaurau also attended our shows.
Recently, Tim Bray, QSM and students from Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education were interviewed on Kea Kids News at one of our NZSL performances of our live show The Great Piratical Rumbustification.
Check it out:
YOUTH THEATRE
Our Youth Theatre programme continues to flourish, including weekly drama classes, holiday programmes and bespoke drama programmes. Here’s a snapshot of what we have been up to:
Weekly Drama Classes
Our mission is to continue to make youth theatre workshops accessible and equitable for all. We continue to run 16 Youth Theatre classes in three venues for four age groups. We support Youth Theatre students whose families are going through a challenging time with Mary Amoore Gift a Seat® Scholarships.
Getting very creative in schools
Thanks to Creatives in Schools, we collaborated with Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education for the third year in a row to create a performance where students were inspired entirely by deaf culture. Funded by Creatives in Schools, the show enabled students to take charge of their own creativity, build confidence, develop leadership skills, celebrate their own culture, and learn to express themselves. Our performance in early June 2024 was well received by the whole audience.
Working with secondary and tertiary students
We also joined forces with some very talented third-year acting students from Unitec for Five Go on an Adventure. Six Unitec students are part of this dynamic cast, and their involvement in this show contributed towards completing their Bachelor of Performing Screen Arts degree.
Inspiring through inclusivity
Across everything we do, we’re committed to providing equitable access to disabled audiences and welcome disabled performers as part of our company of actors. We’ve also worked on optimising our website and social media platforms to work with screen readers and other accessibility tools.
Your impact
Tim Bray Theatre Company is a registered charitable trust that relies on the generosity of others to do our life-changing work. The more support we receive, the more children we can reach across Aotearoa New Zealand, building their confidence and enriching their lives.
If you’d like to make our impact even greater, please support us – you’ll be helping us to transform the lives of children and young people through the power of theatre.
