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 2023:
16,050 children and their teachers, parents, grandparents and caregivers have attended our 2 professional productions over 90 performances in 3 venues across Tāmaki Makaurau.
478
Young people enrolled in our Youth Theatre programmes – including our free entry programme at the Due Drop Events Centre, Manukau.
1,926
Children enjoyed a life-enriching experience at our productions, thanks to Gift a Seat™.
88
Autistic and neuro-divergent children and teenagers enrolled in our Extraordinarily Creative drama classes.
6
Mary Amoore Gift a Seat™ Youth Theatre scholarships were provided for children and teenagers to attend Extraordinarily Creative.
13
Students took part in a collaborative project with Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education and Creatives in Schools to empower Deaf students to perform.
14
Different accessible performances were offered to cater for impaired, disabled and neuro-diverse audiences.
475
Children and adults accessed NZ Sign Language, Audio Described and Sensory Relaxed performances.
* 2023 impact to date from 1 January to 15 July 2023.
2023 – 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 2023 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 Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch by Ronda and David Armitage, achieving over 70% in ticket sales over the three venues in Takapuna, Manukau and Māngere. This was followed by The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton which has been a sellout show.
In the latter half of our year, we aim to 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.
YOUTH THEATRE BACK ON STAGE
Our Youth Theatre programme continues to flourish, including weekly drama classes, holiday programmes, bespoke workshops and other community events. Here is a snapshot of what we have been up to:
FREE theatre workshop in South Auckland
Our mission is to continue to make youth theatre workshops accessible and equitable for all. Following our successful Hit the Stage! Program held at the Māngere Arts Centre, in July 2022, we ran this program again at Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau in January 2023. Both workshops were funded by SkyCity Auckland Community Trust.
Getting very creative in schools
Thanks to Creatives in Schools, we collaborated with Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education for the second 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 late June 2023 was well received by the whole audience.
Check out our media coverage: https://timbray.org.nz/in-the-news-theatre-brings-together-deaf-and-hearing-students/
Working with secondary and tertiary students
In May 2023, Tim Bray Theatre Company collaborated with James Cook High School in Manurewa on Hit the Stage!, a 5-day workshop, where students worked with our Pasifika tutors towards achieving their NCEA assessment standard and perform a substantial acting role in a significant production.
Once students returned to school, they completed two written tasks that unpacked their experience of creating the performance, as well as a statement of intention. Students gained 5 credits once both components of the assessment were completed. This is the first time our theatre company has worked with Kiwi students to achieve credits towards NCEA.
We also joined forces with some very talented third-year acting students from Unitec for The Magic Faraway Tree. Six Unitec students were 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.
MAKING AN EXTRAORDINARY IMPACT
Our Extraordinarily Creative (EC) drama classes for children and teens with autism or other neuro-diversities continue to be in high demand at both our Te Oro and Meadowood venues.
These classes use drama to help students navigate social, academic and personal challenges, so they can thrive in a world that does not often understand them.
In 2023 we are excited to announce that Tim Bray Theatre Company started Extraordinarily Creative (EC) classes for students in Whare Manaaki at Tamaki College in the middle of Term 2. These classes will continue in Term 3 and Term 4. Our theatre can provide guidance and professional development for Tamaki College teachers working with neurodivergent students.
What some of our parents say…
“Hunter has always wanted to be in a play, and it is such a wonderful opportunity to experience this in an inclusive, safe and fun way. He is so enjoying his time with the group at Extraordinarily Creative and just loves going every week. Many thanks to Jeanita, Clem and the Tim Bray team, as this is exactly what we’ve been searching for!”
– Cushla S, grandparent of Extraordinarily Creative student (Meadowood).
“My son really enjoys drama classes, and it is helping him to build confidence in his ability to socialise with others. He is learning to take turns, listen and work as a team, which are traits he finds very difficult with his severe ADHD and strong autistic traits.”
– J.R., parent of Extraordinarily Creative student (Te Oro)
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.
