NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE

Melanie's pedigree covers an extensive career in non-profit and arts arenas as both an actress and musician, and notably as an arts administrator. Melanie holds a BA in Theatre and a Masters in Music from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University as well as an LTCL in music from Trinity College, London.

While sustaining a career as an actress and musician in Chicago for several decades, she also served as Managing Director at “HealthWorks Theatre” of Chicago, General Manager of “Next Theatre” in Evanston, Business Manager at “About Face Theatre Collective” and Executive Director of “Striding Lion Performance Group”.

Moving back to New Zealand in 2013, she served as General Manager of The New Zealand Dance Company, Partnerships Manager at The Starship Foundation and currently serves as Director of Development at the Auckland Philharmonia.

Melanie is passionate about the arts and bringing people and organisations together in support of charities that reflect their values and enrich their lives.

Dianne is a Marketing Communications specialist, having worked in a wide range of commercial as

well as not-for-profit roles. Previously, she spent ten years in the education sector, teaching at both

the primary and intermediate levels.

Di has a passion for the arts, inspired by a love of dance, theatre and art.

Kelly has been involved in musical theatre for most of her life, and joined the NYT board in 2021.

A passionate performer and trained teacher, Kelly teaches Musical Theatre at Geronimo Performing Arts, and is co-producer and co-director of Geronimo Musicals. Her corporate background has focused largely on community, education and youth development, with workplaces including Avondale College, Fonterra, BLAKE (Sir Peter Blake’s charity), and currently as Senior Social Responsibility Manager at Lotto NZ.

Kelly was on the SCOUTS New Zealand Board as National Commissioner and served on World Scouting working groups for both strategic planning and recruitment. Theatre highlights include performing alongside her husband Craig in Amici’s Mamma Mia! and Phantom of the Opera. 

Kelly has two young children and is looking forward to them discovering the stage as they grow up.

Maria is an ACCA Fellow member, and her current position is with PwC as a Senior Manager in Accounting Advisory Services. She has worked with a range of businesses and organisations in roles as an external auditor, investment analyst and accounting advisor mostly supporting clients from financial services and insurance sector.

Maria found her passion for dancing long time ago and believes that performance adventures are magical, they change lives and inspire people.

Milly Malpas joined the cast of Keeping the Lights On in 2020 at the age of 10, and since then has enjoyed taking part in 10 OnStage productions. Her highlights with NYT include playing Peter Pan in Alver & Doy’s Wendy (2022), and Rumpleteazer in CATS! (2023). Growing up with NYT has allowed her to develop her confidence and her ability to work as part of a team. She immensely enjoyed the role of Cast Captain in NYT’s  production of Seussical (2025), which helped her to grow her leadership skills in a supportive and welcoming environment.
Milly is very excited to be able to bring the youth voice to the board. She understands firsthand the impact NYT can have on a young person, and will advocate for an inclusive environment in which every cast member feels seen and supported in their own development, allowing them to thrive on stage.

Paul brings experience from a broad range of industries and international markets. He built a career in Marketing, Brand & Customer Engagement in professional and financial service industries and designed and executed strategy and operations for high-profile organisations.

Paul has held leadership roles in Government & Stakeholder Relations and Programme Management in the Sports & Events sector. He has worked with a number of National Sporting Organisations and was part of the Local Organising Committees for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2022, and FIFA Women’s Football World Cup 2023. Paul led the opening of the New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland Tamaki Makaurau and continues to lead their programme management.

Paul has held governance positions in the Not-for-profit sector and understands the challenging yet rewarding work within the social landscape. He is passionate about supporting and developing tamariki and rangatahi across education, welfare and personal development and is particularly proud of NYT’s focus on inspiring young performers, building confidence and developing essential capabilities for the future.

Sarah’s career has spanned all aspects of performing arts from performance and production to producing, writing, and teaching. She has worked with theatre companies and arts festivals across Aotearoa, and owned and operated her own production company, producing over 60 live theatre productions and eight national tours.  Sarah is currently the Executive Director of TAPAC (The Auckland Performing Arts Centre) As a performer, Sarah’s work included contracts with Wellington’s Circa and Downstage theatres, Court Theatre (Christchurch), Fortune Theatre (Dunedin), and for Auckland Theatre Company and South Pacific Pictures. She was also a solo vocalist for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Sarah has LTCL (Performance) and ATCL (Teaching) from Trinity College London, a Bachelor of Arts from Otago University and postgraduate from Mountview Theatre Conservatoire, London. Sarah is passionate about the performing arts and creating safe, inclusive spaces for creative communities. She believes that theatre plays a vital role in society and provides a platform for inspiration, education, innovation, and social change.

Simone Corballis first came to NYT through the school holiday AllStars programme before making her debut appearance on the main stage in The Wizard of Oz in 2019.  Since then, she has been a part of 12 OnStage productions as well as weekly triple threat classes and the NYT performance group. Simone’s major highlights include the roles of the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and the Dodo in Alver and Doy’s Alice: A Wonderland Musical, both in 2024.  She is especially appreciative of the opportunities NYT provides for young people to experience all the magic of musical theatre, as well as the chance to learn about all aspects of theatre production.  She enjoyed serving as Cast Captain for Joseph, and looks forward to playing an active role as youth representative on the NYT Board.  She would particularly love to help foster NYT as an inclusive and open space where cast members of all ages can participate and develop new mindsets and gain confidence through performance.