Tim Bray Theatre Company is based on the North Shore and has been operating for 28 years. The company started offering Youth Theatre classes seven years ago, to encourage self-confidence and focus, and as a place where students learn to explore their imaginations and to harness and express their creativity.

A recurring theme from feedback from parents and students is that students who may have struggled in other environments find their niche or happy place in Tim Bray drama classes. A mum of one of the students, Luke (16), says, "Once a week my son walks out of the building and marches across the carpark towards me with a huge, happy smile, waving and laughing over his shoulder at his classmates."

Tim Bray Youth Theatre, which now has classes now in Takapuna, Western Springs and Epsom, encourages students to use their own voices and experiences in classes and workshop when creating stories. Imagination is important to development of the whole child, and having fun with that imagination is key to the way tutors guide the classes and workshops.

“Performance is empowering and lifts the voices and confidence of youth so they can be heard, but also so they can listen back,”says company director Tim Bray.

Youth Theatre tutors are all experienced performers, but most importantly they all have a passion and commitment to working with children and teenagers, and the qualifications and skills to support that.

 Madeleine Lynch coordinates all the Youth Theatre programmes including the various school holiday classes and workshops. “I believe creativity should always be a fun activity, shared with others and sprinkled with laughter,” she says.

Term time students have the special opportunity to attend a final rehearsal of the latest show Tim Bray Theatre Company is presenting. This allows students to watch and learn from professional actors and crew at work, and to experience those lightbulb moments of theatre that resonate with them, whether it be performing, story building, stage or technical management. Occasionally a specialised guest tutor from the company allows the students to experience a taste of singing, mime, puppetry, choreography, stage management, costume design or many other aspects of a working theatre company.

The Tim Bray Youth Theatre school holiday programme, Break a Leg!, allows students to watch one of our shows and then learn the backstage secrets and create their own performance based on a part of the show. Hit the Stage! sees students devise and perform their own unique work over a whole week.

Tutors listen to the students, to learn what they want to achieve, and how they want to develop. Technical skills, performance skills, confidence, story-telling, socialisation – these are all part of a drama class kit that tutors prepare for each class.

The aim is that students who pass through Tim Bray Youth Theatre gain a love of live theatre that they will carry through into their adult life as supporters of the arts.