Committee
Each year in February an Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held to elect committee members who are then charged with looking after the society.
All members and observers are welcome to the AGM, but only current financial members are eligible to cast a vote at the AGM.
The Committee members are responsible for the general running of the society on behalf of the members and each take on different areas of interest and expertise. These are generally divided into subcommittees that members are then welcome to join and contribute to.
The committee is made up of 11 to 13 members being President, 2x Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 6-8x Committee members. Each year the President, Secretary, Treasurer, 1x Vice President and 3x Committee members must be elected onto the committee.
Jeremy has been involved with Tauranga Musical Theatre since 1996. He has been on Committee since 2018 and has been President of the Society since 2020. Jeremy is also the Honorary Solicitor for Musical Theatre New Zealand. Jeremy has a strong emphasis on future planning for the Society. He is passionate about ensuring the Society thrives and remains strong, and he works hard to achieve that goal. He has enjoyed implementing various policies and procedures for the Society, being involved in show selection, and more recently, youth development. Jeremy remains humbled by the incredibly talented, hardworking, loyal, and inspiring people that come together to form our TMT family.
Vice President
Hannah Lee
Hannah came to move a couch on crew for a show in 2018 and never left. She is an advocate for wellbeing and fun in our home away from home. And she’s loved the many opportunities to be in roles on and off the stage, especially Production Managing. Theatre is about building a community and being your true self, why not have fun along the way.
Treasurer
Helen O’Connor
Helen would describe herself a theatre lover at heart. She grew up performing on stage but now loves contributing to creating the magic behind the scenes. She joined TMT in 2019 in wardrobe for Wicked and hasn’t left. With a passion for wardrobe she loves bringing shows to life with costumes that empower the cast. Helen runs the wardrobe fairies group at TMT where she makes life long friends and she encourages others to get involved and give things a go. As Treasurer she strives to contribute to the ongoing success and growth of Tauranga Musical Theatre. TMT is where she has found her second family and second home and hopes others find that here too.
Committee
Heron Rickard
Heron became involved with TMT when her daughter was cast in a 2023 show, helping with wardrobe and joining the magic of the Thursday Sewing Fairies. Apart from her propensity for sewing poppers on upside down, it has been a joy being involved in selecting, designing, sewing and fitting costumes of all kinds. She's assisted in wardrobe for many shows since and loves the thrill and camaraderie of being backstage. When her son was also cast in a recent show, she was happy to join the Committee and help contribute to the running of a place which gives her family so much joy.
Committee
Justin Ansell
I have been involved in theatre since I was 13, taking part in the technical side/ backstage. And I'm pleased to be returning home to the dark side of the theatre at TMT after a bit of a break and pleased to be here to share knowledge and help where possible.
Committee
Pippi Northfield-Taratoa
Pippi was in love with acting and drama in school but has found in recent years that her deeper passion lies backstage. Understanding what makes a show work and being a part of that magic is a joy. Though her focus leans toward stage management, she's excited to learn any new skills she can while being a part of the community, hence joining the committee.
Vice President
Tayla Rowe
Tayla runs TMT youth alongside Millie and loves inspiring young people to be passionate about theatre. She has been a member of TMT since 2018, performing in a variety of shows. When not onstage, Tayla enjoys musical directing and getting involved behind the scenes in tech, particularly sound. Tayla is thrilled to be a part of your TMT committee.
Secretary
Charlene Kitching
Charlene became involved with Tauranga Musical Theatre when her daughter started attending the youth group and also started doing shows. Charlene then got involved with helping initially with Wardrobe for Newsies Jr at the beginning of 2023 and has assisted with most of the TMT shows since then. Charlene loves to be part of the build up to the shows and helping backstage with shows and thoroughly enjoys her time at the theatre. She has met some great people and is happy to be on the committee and to really be part of the theatre community.
Committee
Jenna Irving Glasgow
After years of watching incredible performances at TMT, Jenna finally found the courage to audition for Les Misérables in 2024. That experience sparked a new passion for theatre, and since then, she has been involved both onstage and offstage in several productions. Les Misérables showed her the true sense of community the theatre can offer, where everyone feels like family. Now, Jenna is excited to give back to the TMT community that has given her so much, eager to support this amazing family and help create a space where everyone can experience the magic of theatre.
Committee
Keegan Millar
Keegan's stepped behind a followspot for Tauranga Musical Theatre’s production of Chicago—and he’s been immersed in the world of theatre ever since. Over the years, he has taken on a wide range of roles, including performer, lighting operator, technical director, followspot operator, and stage manager, contributing to more than 20 Tauranga Musical Theatre productions. Specialising in audio engineering, Keegan has toured across the Middle East and Europe, operating sound for productions such as Shrek the Musical and The Phantom of the Opera. With a passion for both the performative and technical aspects of theatre, he is eager to support and promote the growth of live performance and production in Tauranga.
Committee
Selwyn West
With an interest in all things technical you will find Sel behind the scenes rather than in the spotlight. His family has been involved in musical theatre for several years and because of them has helped construct sets and break them down again. He is enjoying serving on the committee and looks forward to sharing his skills to benefit the TMT society. He likes coffee, trivia and running to keep fit.
Committee Youth Rep
Aadit Tandon
At the age of 5, little Aadit Tandon was too scared to blow the candles off his own birthday cake, so his parents threw him into acting classes to ‘improve his confidence.’ This passion only grew and at the age of 8, upon his arrival to NZ, TMT and Tauranga’s theatre community gave him a sense of belonging in this new land. Aadit looks forward to giving back to this community who has given him so much, helping to foster an environment where everyone can find their sense of belonging in this wonderful thing called theatre.