2024 PAYPA Hui and Awards Weekend
11-13 October 2024
Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland
The weekend of October 11-13 saw our third PAYPA hui come alive in Tāmaki Makaurau, with practitioners, students, performers, and educators joining us for a full schedule of activities. The event kicked off with ATC and Nightsong’s Peter Pan, where we enjoyed seeing ATC Youth Company perform alongside professional actors — a true highlight!
On the Saturday, nearly 20 practitioners gathered to discuss how we can collectively strengthen the sector (P.S. keep an eye on our newsletter for more whakaaro from this session!). Later, we were treated to Tim Bray Theatre Company’s Mrs. Wishy Washy at the scenic lakeside Pumphouse Theatre. That evening, esteemed practitioners shared their insights on creating work that puts young people at the heart of the industry. Big thanks to ASSITEJ EC member Shoab Iqbal, Massive Theatre Company, Brickworks Drama School, Dan Goodwin, and Youth Arts NZ for your inspiring kōrero. Special thanks as well to our Youth Advisory members Jamie Lee and Anika John for facilitating these important discussions. We also enjoyed performances by Chloe Bettina and Logan Ding and celebrated our 2024 PAYPA Awards winners:
Emerging Artist/Company Award: Te Kura Maninirau
Production of the Year: The Messy Magic Adventure by Rollicking Entertainment
Peter Wilson Supreme Award for Significant Contribution: Samantha Scott
Sunday wrapped up with our PAYPA AGM and board meeting, closing out a successful and inspiring weekend. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Next year’s hui is set for Christchurch, so keep an eye out for more details soon!
A huge thank you to our partners supporting this event, including Creative New Zealand, Massive Theatre Company and Auckland Theatre Company.
