Next Gen is your backstage pass to Indian Ink’s way of creating theatre – from producing, writing, directing, performing and more. It’s an opportunity for rangatahi to learn how our theatre company works with a mixture of workshops and community-building gatherings to connect you to our company and to connect you to the theatre maker you want to be.
Our programme is best suited to emerging artists who are interested in connecting with others through a love of theatre, those who want to expand their knowledge and create their own work, and creatives who have the capacity to commit to a series of workshops over the next year.
Next Gen applications are now closed. Please contact Programme Leader, Manuka with any questions on [email protected]
Kia Ora! I’m Aliza, a Kiwi-Indian born in Mumbai and raised in Auckland. Both these cities have shaped my identity and ignited my love for performance. I’ve danced between school stages and community productions, each one reminding me that theatre is where I feel most alive. Beyond performing, I’m fascinated by films, symbolism, and the magic of storytelling that lingers long after the curtain falls. Traveling fuels my imagination, offering fresh perspectives and new environments to explore. I’m absolutely thrilled to join Next Gen; looking forward to growing and creating meaningful experiences with a community that celebrates theatre.
Hi, my name is Finn Lavery, I’m 20 and I’m currently studying acting at South Seas film and television school. I like making music, watching movies with my friends and being overall cool guy.
Holly Stephens is an Auckland-born creative. Experienced in acting, dance, and entertainment. Passionate about storytelling and travel, her theatre credits include NZ National School tour – Duffy Books in Homes, The American Way programme (16th Street Studios, Melbourne), and a Diploma in Commercial Dance (Apollo Theatre College NZ). Holly has spent time contracting in Film/TV production for shows such as Power Rangers NZ, Taskmaster NZ/AU, and in front of the camera as Alice Pickering on Shortland Street. Her fondest memories of performing return to singing and dancing in the lounge with her siblings and school-mates. Thanks, Mum, for all your support.
I’m Janhavi, a 22-year-old actor based in Auckland, and I am passionate about anything and everything creative. I first started my journey in theatre as a teenager, performing in my high school’s production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. However, now, as a young adult, I hope to take an even further step into theatre. I love acting, singing, social media, film and TV, and reading!
Hi there! I’m Jess! I’m currently in my last year of my Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Politics! I’ve studied in Auckland for the last three years and have loved discovering the vibrant theatre scene here! Through my degree and experience in Auckland so far, I’ve seen how theatre has seeped into so many different facets of life, not just the stage.
Kia ora Koutou. Hei Huri ahau ki Ngāti Tūwharetoa rāua ko Ngāi Tūhoe. Ko Manunui tāku ingoa, or you can call me Manu for short. I’m a creative at heart, dabbling into many aspects in this industry as an actor, teacher, writer and director. I’ve graduated from Unitec in 2023 doing the acting degree and have been invoicing with Massive Theatre Company keeping up my creative practice ever since. I’m a physical playful actor who theatre is my first love, I always go back to it, and film is like my fun little cousin who I hang out with now and then. I like to run in my spare time and bake Rēwana bread for friends and whānau. Mauri Ora
Merlia is an actor, singer and songwriter based in Tāmaki Makaurau. After graduating from the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art (NASDA) in 2022, she decided to further her training as a creative and performer at The Actors’ Program last year.
Merlia has had a taste of creating and developing her own original work when she wrote, directed and acted in her play I Can Not Give Hugs at Little Andromeda Theatre in 2023.
From singing classically and pop music in high school, mixed with her later musical theatre experience, Merlia has begun writing her own music which has evolved into a folk, jazz and soft pop style. Merlia hopes now to gain more developed skills in directing, writing and producing theatre.
Rachel is a NASDA graduate, actor, deviser, and improviser. She has worked across both theatre and screen, with recent credits including TVNZ+’s Camp Be Better and the debut of her solo show Eat, Sleep, Dance, Repeat. She is thrilled to be part of the Next Gen cohort.
Sugar Rea-Bruce (she/her) is a pākehā artist, writer and actor based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Of Scottish, English and Irish whakapapa her family tree is dappled with psychics, dairy farmers and chronically stubborn artists. She was born in a house in Sandringham where her whenua is still buried under a plum tree in the garden and raised out west surround by bush, mud and West Coast beaches. She loves nothing more than to get lost in a story which has lead her to telling and making her own ones. The style of work she makes is heartwarming, dreamlike and delightfully eccentric.
Tom Webster (He/Him) is a multi-talented creative in the performing arts in Tāmaki Makaurau. He studied acting at Unitec School of Creative Industries graduating in 2022. After graduating, Tom started working as an independent theatre creative as a writer, director, performer and producer. He is a member of Massive Theatre Company as an actor and teaching artist. He is passionate about storytelling in dreamscapes and the liminal space between the world present in our minds and the reality that we live in.
Victoria is an emerging creative of Eastern European heritage based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, with a theatrical practice spanning performance, directing and set design.
Performance highlights include working with the Pop-up Globe Youth Company and Arden Ensemble, and being part of ATC’s Youth Company for 2025.
She holds a master’s degree in architecture and has an affinity for cross-disciplinary making. Her thesis culminated in a multimedia installation and solo performance based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. She has also worked in set design across both professional and community theatre.
Victoria is thrilled to be part of Indian Ink’s Next Gen programme.
Viola Ember is a Hungarian-German-Kiwi performer and creative, currently working on her craft through The Actors Program. She has a passion for storytelling and creating impactful, accessible theatre, and is looking forward to exploring the worlds of directing, devising and producing through the Next Gen program! Outside the worlds of film and theatre you’ll find her curled up with a book, or playing D&D.
