Alex Medland (Kai Tahu) is an actor, writer and director based in Tāmaki Makaurau. In 2019 she trained at The John Bolton Theatre School in Melbourne and since then has performed in several theatre shows including GLORIANA’s ‘The Maid’s Tragedy’ and touring Aotearoa with Duffy Books ‘Duffy in Bubble Trouble’. In 2022, she co-wrote ‘Pākehā Skin, Māori Blood’ as part of Te Pou Theatre’s Kōanga festival and directed ‘Conversations with the Ghost in my Bedroom’ for Auckland Theatre Company’s Youth Company. She is incredibly excited to be part of Indian Ink’s Next Gen. 

Connor is an actor, writer and dancer who hails from Tairāwhiti. She is hungry to create work that plays with the nexus of words, character interaction and movement, exploring how we navigate the emotionally complex journey of life. Connor is a journalist by trade and a graduate of The Actors Program where her love for writing theatre began.  

Jill is a multidisciplinary creative of Malaysian Chinese heritage, interested in telling stories about displacement, diaspora, and memory. She debuted as a playwright with ‘How To Throw A Chinese Funeral’, which was selected for Playmarket’s 2021 Asian Ink development programme and was a finalist for the 2022 Adam NZ Play Award. Prior to her plunge into theatre-making, Jill has written, directed and produced short films. She also has a background in business.

Kais Azimullah: Stage/screen is my second home – been performing in various aspects for as long as I can remember, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s an escape from reality for me. Growing up training in musical theatre, my love and drive for the arts I aim developing with.

Being selected for Indian Ink’s 2023 Next Gen is a huge privilege and I’m stoked to collaborate with the company’s fantastic creatives. After interning at the company in early 2022, a desire to return and work with their creatives festered in me. And what better way to start than through the programme!

Kia ora! My name is Lachlan, and I’m stoked to be a part of Next Gen.

I’m a graduate from the University of Auckland with a bachelors in English and Drama. While studying there I came into contact with Indian Ink for the first time, watching and analysing ‘Krishnan’s Dairy’. I loved the effective simplicity of the show and it’s poignant intelligence in dealing with complicated themes. After graduating uni I travelled to London and trained professionally as an actor at Drama Studio London. Now, having worked as an actor for a number of years, I’m excited to develop my producing and directing skills in order to help tell topical, powerful, and interesting stories from New Zealand. I can’t wait to get started!

Lucy Dawber is an actor/theatre maker/writer based in Tāmaki Makaurau

A graduate from the Toi Whakaari acting programme (2019) she has spent the last three years devising theatre and performing with the improv group ‘Bullrush’. Lucy most recently performed her solo show ‘Rich people cry too and other lessons I learnt from Telenovela’ at the Basement Theatre for the 2022 Auckland Fringe.

Kia ora!! I’m Millie Ripeka Manning, a freelance actor and creative, and graduated from Unitec in 2021. On my paternal side I am Māori, from Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha, on my maternal side I am Dutch. I’m excited to develop my writing and other creative skills with a like-minded rōpū at Indian Ink Theatre.

Olivia saw her first Indian Ink show back in 2013, and is extremely excited to now be a part of the Next Gen programme 10 years later. She has spent her last three years in Ōtautahi within the theatre scene and as a speech & drama teacher. She is looking forward to embarking on more theatre company performance work this year with Indian Ink.

Hi, I am Pawan. I was born in Lautoka, Fiji and grew up here in Aotearoa. My interests range from watching lots of movies, listening to music, reading, listening and playing games. The basic stuff but more than this my passion is for storytelling, which drives me to keep pushing myself. After finding my passion for drama in high school, I wanted to go even farther and so I began my studies at Unitec. Graduating with a Bachelors in Performing Arts, acting for screen and theatre. I have been interested in Indian ink since I first read their book in high school. I have wanted to work and learn with them to go even farther within my craft, to tell my stories with better clarity and vision. I am so thrilled for the opportunity.

Kia Ora, my name is Pennsylvania Esera. I grew up in South Auckland for most of my life and grew more in love with the creativity scene amongst the youth. Theatre has been a pocketed passion of mine within acting and has ever shadowed me to pursue it even further. I’m looking forward to working with Indian Ink next year.

Talia Pua, is an actor and theatre-maker. She is a co-founder and Artistic Director of independent theatre company, Hand-Pulled Collective. In 2021, Talia made her award-winning playwriting and directing debut with ‘Pork and Poll Taxes’ – a family drama set during the Chinese poll tax era in Aotearoa. With a degree in Creative Technologies, Talia is interested in combining her passion for physical theatre and design practice to create compelling visual theatre.

Toi Whakaari graduate (2019) Vincent Andrew-Scammell is an all-round creative. He has been in many devised shows in Ōtautahi, Pōneke and Tāmaki, and a couple of screen projects over the last couple of years.
Vincent also co-founded the award winning improv group ‘Bull Rush’, which is about to start regular shows at basement theatre in 2023.

Being a part of Next Gen opens the doors to many behind the scenes with Indian Ink as the company. Workshopping new work to getting the hacks on producing theatre; the learnings and experiences were priceless. The Next Gen program is flexible and supportive.  

Contact: [email protected]  

I loved the community and inside eye as to how a thriving theatre company works. A huge take away for me was how much goes on behind the scenes in the writer’s room. Absolutely loved the get-aways with the company and all the time we got to spend together as Next Genners. It is so cool to now be working on Indian Ink’s latest work, Dirty Work. I have so much love towards this initiative and would encourage it to all emerging theatre artists. 

Next Gen gave me the opportunity to connect with an accomplished theatre company in a supported and safe way. We were involved in so much of the creative and the business side of theatre and I have developed skills in both areas. 

I have had the privilege to work with mentors from Indian Ink since and to create a community from meeting people in the programme. I recommend Next Gen to everyone! 

I applied for the Next Gen programme looking to upskill in acting, directing, and to try my hand at writing, and what I found was a whole new creative whānau. The team at Indian Ink are so welcoming and lovely, and every meet up was filled with laughter and great food (shout out to Jude). I’m very grateful for the people I met during this experience, and I’m excited to continue to be part of the Indian Ink community as my creative career continues. If you’d like to follow along, you can find me at @c.hloeb or @lilclodoodles on Instagram! 

I consider Next Gen an invaluable experience to prepare anyone for the challenges of working within creative industries! I believe I’ve grown a great deal with help from the Indian Ink whānau and my peers within the program. I’m furiously excited about our future endeavours and grateful for the opportunity to connect with like-minded creatives. Since the program, I have helped found a collective with some formidable individuals, staging our first season together last September, with a second piece currently in development. 

Find our work @somethingobscureco on Instagram