DISNEY'S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL ON STAGE

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Jonathan Alver is a multi-skilled director and producer of both stage and screen with international experience in the UK, Europe, US and New Zealand.  Trained as a singer at the Royal Northern College of Music, his major directing debut came at the age of 25 when he remounted the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Showboat at the London Palladium. 

Jonathan has since gone on to direct numerous theatre and opera productions around the world including Aida, La Boheme, Falstaff, Lucia di Lammermoor, Macbeth and Tosca, as well as more than 100 broadcast television hours of Shortland Street and Go Girls. 

Jonathan began his long association with New Zealand in 1996, taking up the role of Artistic Director and then General Director of New Zealand Opera.  Amongst his many achievements during that time he is particularly proud of establishing and delivering a ground-breaking opera outreach programme for New Zealand schools and an Emerging Artists’ Programme. 

In the last ten years Jonathan has toured theatrical productions and delivered major events, co-produced Jailhouse Rock - The Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End, directed television and developed his own screen and theatre projects.

PROGRAMMES MANAGER

Seamus has been a part of NYT since 2008, when he joined the company for the production of Grease. Through his involvement as a cast member he has personally seen and experienced the impact of the invaluable skills and opportunities NYT provides.

He was Assistant Director for the company from 2012 to 2018, with personal highlights being his directorial debut with 2013’s Aladdin, and his final production of Shrek The Musical. In addition to his experience with NYT Seamus has worked with a number of other Auckland theatre groups, seeing him develop his performance, directorial and production skills in a range of disciplines.

Seamus’ primary passion is education, and providing young people with the skills, attitudes and mindset needed to be successful in any field they choose. Seamus is a qualified Primary Teacher, specialising in Pasifika Pedagogy, and brings his knowledge and understanding of the practice of teaching and learning. He believes in the value of education through the arts, and loves the opportunity that NYT provides for young people to grow and develop their confidence and real world skills in a fun and supportive environment.

DIRECTOR

MUSICAL DIRECTOR

James Doy (B.Mus L.T.C.L.) was one of the founding members of the National Youth Theatre Company, and has been the Musical Director since its inception in 2005. In 2012 James was appointed Chief Executive by the NYT Board.

Outside of NYT James has a resume including Christmas and Opera in the Park, Rob Guest, Max Bygraves and Shirley Bassey. In the world of musical theatre, James has played for many international touring productions including Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors, Porgy and Bess, Cats, Matilda and Wicked.

In 2014 James received the prestigious 'NZ Musician of the Year' award from the Variety Artists Club. James was the Musical Director of the NZ Opening Ceremony for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, composing, arranging, and working with artists from Sole Mio to Hayley Westernra as well as putting together a huge showcase for the music from each of the 14 participating nations. He composed the theme for Peta Matthias’s Taste series, which have been screened all over the world, and composed the full length musical Peter Pan for NYT in 2017.

CHOREOGRAPHER

Nieve began dancing at the age of 3 and has since gained experience in a variety of styles. She has always loved the idea of passing on her knowledge and enjoyment of dance; she spent years assisting her ballet teacher with the younger students' classes before she started working as a solo teacher herself in 2019. Additionally she had the opportunity to lead dance troupes at Rangitoto College, where she received the Devotion to Dance award in 2018. 

In 2023 Nieve completed her Bachelor of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland. Alongside this degree Nieve has performed in contemporary piece ‘This Room Is An Island’ (choreographed and created by Yin-Chi Lee), and ‘Night Of The Queer 2023’ (Luck & Schooney). She started working with the National Youth Theatre in 2021 as a Dance Intern and has since taken on the role of Choreographer for their productions of Frozen JR, High School Musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat and Alice: A Wonderland Musical. 

Most recently Nieve performed in Wilbur: The Big, Not-So-Bad Wolf, at TAPAC as part of the TAPAC Youth Company. 

REHEARSAL CO-ORDINATOR

Johanna has been with the National Youth Theatre since 2007. A constant presence in the rehearsal room, Johanna is your first point of call for any of the day-to-day questions you may have. Once we go into theatre, Johanna's domain becomes the side-of-stage, leading a team of volunteers, and providing a vital conduit between departments. Johanna is a trained ballerina, having danced with Royal New Zealand Ballet.

ASSISTANT MD

Shervonne Grierson (she/her) is a Malaysian Chinese-Pakeha actor, writer, producer, and director, born and raised in East Auckland. She first started acting with Howick Children’s and Youth Theatre in 2011, and fell in love with all types of creative expression and performance from there.

Shervonne is a recent graduate of Te Kura Toi Whakaari o Aotearoa, with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Acting. Her recent credits include “Shortland Street”, the PASC TV pilot of “Happiness is the Path”, Proudly Asian Theatre’s recent show “Not Woman Enough”, and most recently starred in Nathan Joe’s latest show “Losing Face” at Q Theatre. She has also directed and produced her own short film, Laksa, which premiered at the Toi Film Premiere at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington. 

This is Shervonne’s first production working with NYT, and she is deeply excited to help uplift this new generation of emerging actors and performers through music. She is also involved with NYT as a tutor for AllStars, and she is honoured to be helping NYT with their kaupapa of changing lives from the stage.

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Andrew Furness is an Auckland-based sound designer and audio technician with extensive touring experience. Andrew was our sound designer & operator for Beauty and the Beast, Oliver! and The Wizard of Oz. Andrew has performed a number of technical roles for Auckland Theatre Company, including Audio Engineer for North by Northwest, touring Audio & Lighting Technician for Winding Up and touring Technical Stage Manager for Still Life with Chickens, which played in 20 venues across three countries. Andrew’s other sound designs include A Stab in the Dark alongside John Gibson, for Nightsong. Andrew also has considerable film industry experience, including Netflix’s Sweet Tooth and Power Rangers.

COSTUME DESIGNER

RELATIONSHIPS MANAGER

Shirley Sequeira is a jack of many trades. At the age of 16 she dabbled in design and worked for a boutique. She then worked in hotel management for three years, before moving into the Airline Industry, first for PanAm then becoming a Sales and Marketing Manager with SwissAir.  In the background she started a company called Entre Nous, running corporate events and touring international productions.