Highly Experienced Producer for Kapiti Production

The next production presented by the Kapiti Playhouse, Arsenic and Old Lace, is being directed by a highly experienced producer, Adriann Smith of Featherston.

She has appeared in numerous productions as well as working backstage and front of house.   Some were traditional plays but a number were more avant-garde or experimental. 

While at Victoria University she played the role of one of the witches in Macbeth.   Traditionally it is a play dogged by incident and because of that it’s always called “the Scottish Play” and never by its name while in a theatre.   Adriann fell off the set in the middle of the run of performances, breaking her leg.   The role of Macbeth in that production was played by Sam Neill.

Her first theatre memory is as a singing cricket early in primary school.  She continued in productions throughout primary and secondary school and while completing tertiary studies.   Theatre was a key factor in her studies.  She also attended classes in acting movement and voice production at Nola Millar’s drama school at the New Theatre in Wellington.

Adriann has strong formal performing arts and media qualifications:   L.T.C.L. (Teacher), Grade 8 Practical in piano, M.A. (First Class) Media Studies (Massey University), Post Graduate Certificate in Theatre and Film (Victoria University).   Having been awarded a scholarship, she undertook Ph.D theatre study at Otago University.

Performance has been a strong part of her life, working with Napier Repertory Players, Victoria University, Wellington Festival Singers, Stagecraft, Community Theatre, Sacred Hearth Cathedral Choir, the Cantores Chamber Choir in Dunedin and the Dunedin City Choir.

Adriann Smith has been active in guiding other learners.   She set up the Media Studies Journalism Course at Whitireia Polytechnic which included short-term radio stations and student newspapers, was a teacher in drama at Papakura’s Rosehill College, was Deputy Director (Academic) at the Wellington Performing Arts School teaching the Community Theatre module and taught in the Otago University Theatre Studies department.

She’s an accomplished radio journalist/producer having a varied career with Radio New Zealand.   Some of her roles covered Concert Programme production and editing, a daily current affairs programme Viewpoint, radio documentary producer including for the long-running Insight series, Morning Report production, Continuing Education and announcer for Radio New Zealand International’s shortwave service.    Adriann Smith has a large catalogue of radio documentaries to her credit.

She has published some papers and presented a number of conference papers.

Adriann Smith is frequently travelling between her home on Featherston and Paraparaumu to direct rehearsals for Arsenic and Old Lace to be presented in the Kapiti Playhouse from Wednesdays to Saturdays for two weeks starting on the 11th of April.