Howick Little Theatre Inc - New Zealand

Founded in 1954 by leading professional actress Alma Woods, Howick Little Theatre is an award-winning community theatre with a reputation for quality productions and a penchant for dynamic, contemporary plays, including new New Zealand work such as King and Country (Dave Armstrong) and Home Land (Gary Henderson).This year the theatre staged the first Auckland production of Carl Nixon's powerful and evocative West Coast family drama The Raft. Other plays in the 2010 line-up were the deliciously dark UK comedy Mammals by Amelia Bullmore, the Irish comedy Kevin's Bed by Bernard Farrell, and the New Zealand premiere of the hit comedy Sexy Laundry by Michele Riml. Coming up in November is the box-office smash hit Four Flat Whites in Italy by Roger Hall.The theatre’s commitment to  

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innovation means young people are encouraged to get involved and HLT offers opportunities for first-time directors, as well as training for backstage personnel. Several members, for example, got a technical grounding at HLT then went on to professional careers.In the past 12 years, those interested in acting, directing, vocal training, lighting and set design have had the opportunity to attend workshops with leading New Zealand theatre professionals, and there are more planned. Tutors have included Christian Penny, Justin Lewis, Bryan Caldwell, Tracy Grant, Oliver Driver, Cameron Rhodes and Jonathon Hendry. In 2009 Miranda Harcourt, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Stuart Devenie and the Head of Voice at Unitec, Kirstie O'Sullivan, took workshops for actors. In 2010, Cameron Rhodes and Miranda Harcourt took two-day workshops on acting and directing, respectively. For details, see: http://www.hlt.org.nz/channels.php/services/workshops/A number of well-known thespians, including Kerry Smith and Donna Akersten, and Melbourne Theatre Company's Artistic Director Simon Phillips started out at HLT, and the theatre's drama classes have provided the stepping stone to professional careers over the years.In July 2009, the theatre, a first-time entrant, was named a finalist in the Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality category of the WESTPAC MANUKAU BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS. It was the first time in the history of the awards that a theatre had been selected as a finalist.