WENDY

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.

PROGRAMME DIRECTOR

Cole is one of our longest serving National Youth Theatre alumnus. He began performing in shows in 2007 and has been involved to some capacity with every production since. Joining staff in 2019, Cole has been a wonderful addition to our team. Alongside his work as the Programme Director with National Youth Theatre he works as a Vocal Coach, the owner of Auckland Artists Network, a resident performer with Ryman Healthcare and a very in demand Musical Theatre performer. 

MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Ben can usually be found behind a piano, working as a répétiteur and orchestral pianist on productions for New Zealand Opera and G&T/Amici Productions, and as a pianist and vocal coach at the University of Auckland and the New Zealand Opera School. His work as a musical director, besides his shows with NYT, includes productions with Auckland Music Theatre and the Junior Theatre Festival of New Zealand. He also performs as a singer, having performed roles on stages from Christchurch to Auckland. In his copious free time he also lectures at the University of Auckland, where he recently completed his PhD in musicology

CHOREOGRAPHER

ASSISTANT 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 teaching 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. Nieve is currently in her second year of a Bachelors of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland.

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 production of Disney's Frozen Junior and the role of Assistant Choreographer for OLIVER!

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

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.

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Elin comes from a production and event management background. Trained in the UK, she worked professionally across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland before settling in NZ.

The broad range of her industry experience includes working for car launches, television, conferences, photographic studios, special events, exhibitions, inflight entertainment, and general elections. 

Companies she has worked with are Ford, Canon, British Gas, Reuters, Oxfam, BBC Radio, Grundy Entertainment, TV3, TVNZ, Communicado. She has also held roles in the last five general elections, as Operations and Logistics Manager, Team Leader and Trainer for the NZ Electoral Commission.

In 2016 Elin joined NYT as Operations Manager, adding the world of theatre to her list of production credits, and has enjoyed being instrumental in the development of processes and procedures vital to support the company's continued expansion and success.

RELATIONSHIP 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. 

PRODUCTION MANAGER