After a growing up on NZ’s rural West Coast, Mel Parsons has spent the past 10 years on the road: touring, travelling and gleaning material from life, love and loss. One of NZ’s rising songwriting stars, Mel Parsons is in her element on stage, and is known for ‘pin-drop’ performances – drawing in her audiences and keeping them all night.
Her debut album was a finalist in the NZ Music Awards for Folk Album of the Year in 2009, and she has toured NZ numerous times both as a solo artist and with her backing band “The Rhythm Kings”. Along with her own shows, Parsons has supported and played alongside some of NZ’s best including Anika Moa; Don McGlashan; The Warratahs; and Greg Johnson.
“One of those nice treats you occasionally stumble over while trawling through a sea of mediocrity” Nick Ward, The Nelson Mail
For more details and links to Mel’s music, please visit www.melparsons.com
Amelia Guild grew up on a high country station in Canterbury and has spent the last 4 years making a career out of painting and acting. She has been holding solo exhibitions around the country and her love of painting livestock saw her receive a commission from Fonterra.
Amelia’s recent acting credits include A Night At The Classic for Two Heads Productions, Notworth News for APN NZ Herald and working as an expedition artist and presenter on the Tracing Tea documentary in India.
“…this production was greatly enhanced by Ms Guild’s sense of humour and sense of timing…She regularly distinguishes herself with her stage presence and creative ideas.” – Jerry C Jaffe PhD
For more information on Amelia’s painting, please visit www.ameliaguild.com
Back in her homeland after performing abroad for the last 9 years, Emma Newborn loves to work with a strong focus on devised, ensemble and collective performance. Recent work includes being part of a team developing Chaosbaby at the National Theatre Studio in London, performing a one-woman show SILK (dir: Danielle Cormack) and helping to produce Junior : NZ’s Biggest Fan, a 5 metre high marionette puppet for the NZ Rugby World Cup. Emma is an associate artist with Shaky Isles Theatre, a London-based NZ theatre company and also Tea Leaf Theatre, a UK company working to marry Japanese and Western theatre traditions.
“…an actor and creator of undeniable talent and range. She has a natural impulse to question the world around her and the theatrical acumen to focus that questioning dramatically.” – Anthony Crowley, Artistic Director of St Martins Theatre
