About

Laurel Devenie is a director, actor, teacher and theatre-maker and graduate of Toi Whakaari: The New Zealand Drama School and the John Bolton Theatre School. She has worked consistently throughout the country in many different theatrical arenas. She has been heavily involved in professional and community theatre projects in the Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Wanaka and Northland regions. She currently plays Kate Nathan on Shortland Street.

She is the Director and founder of Company of Giants (Odyssey, Giant Teeth, The Owl and the Pussycat, Rangitahua, Milk and Honey) and directs both text based work and large scale devised pieces. She is co-instigator of ONEONESIX and is heavily committed to developing an audience in this region, and contributing to the growth of a professional performing arts framework in Whangārei, as well as continuing to create original exciting work for people of all ages. She believes that growth in the performing arts sector in our region comes from supporting touring work, creating a space for the development of new work and building opportunities for local performers, young people and community members to learn how to make work that is relevant to them.  She grew up in Whangārei and attended WGHS.

Ko An Dinas te maunga.
Ko Vellanoweth te awa.
Ko Ranatiki te moana.
Ko Ingarangi te motu.
Ko Kernow te rohe.
Ko Te Hāhi Tūhauwiri o Marazion te marae.
Kei Whāngārei tōku kainga ināinei
Ko Penny Fitt tōku ingoa.

I grew up in Cornwall and worked in the UK as a performance designer from 1991 – 2003 working in theatre, dance and opera, including productions for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company, Dukes Theatre Lancaster, Octagon Theatre Bolton, Almeida Theatre London and the English National Opera Bayliss Project. In 2003 I moved to Wellington to set up the Design Department at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. I worked there until February 2017, first as Head of Performance Design and later as Associate Director and Director of Production and Design.

My own design practice here in Aotearoa has been focused on collaborative and devised making processes which incorporate visual exploration from the outset. My first major project here was a collaboration with Jade Eriksen, Christian Penny and David Geary: Penumbra was a devised New Zealand story spanning five decades, first performed in Wellington in 2005. Later, a second version was presented at the 2007 Auckland Arts Festival.

In 2009 I worked with Teina Moetara and Heather Timms to create a live performance, devised with young Māori and Somali performers. This production at the Cable Street Warehouse was the culmination of The Southern Corridor Project- a two year engagement with immigrant and Māori communities of Wellington’s southern suburbs. Between 2018-20 I was part of the creative team working on Owls Do Cry with Malia Johnstone, Julie Nolan and Heather Timms for Red Leap Theatre. Over the last 3 years I have been working with Puti Lancaster, Jade Eriksen and Jo Randerson. The work with each of these directors is similar in that it involves an ongoing inquiry into performance forms which are designed to build community and voice.

Alongside my artistic practice I have gained experience working with and leading staff, developing programmes of learning and carrying organisational responsibilities. During My time in Wellington I served on the board of Taki Rua Theatre for two years.

Thomas Gowing is a Whangarei-based designer and developer. He graduated with a Bachelor of Design Innovation in 2014 with a major in media design. Thomas is a member of the Company of Giants theatre collective and regularly uses ONEONESIX to create theatre and media projects.

Ash Holwell, born in Whangārei, has trained, studied and worked as an industrial designer, artist, and theatre maker in Wellington, Rotterdam, Vienna, and Auckland. Currently based in Whangārei, his artistic practice has acted as a catalyst for urban regeneration, resource recovery, decentralised education and community engagement, through work with Company of Giants, Whare Bike, Wood Community Space, council.go., and ‘suwi circle. He holds a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Massey University Wellington, a Master of Art & Science from The University of Applied Arts Vienna, and completed the John Bolton Theatre School in 2014.

Ko Parihaka te maunga
Ko Hatea te awa
Nō Whangārei ahua
Ko Keene tōku whānau
Ko Matt tōku ingoa

Matt was born in Whangārei and went to school at Kamo Primary, Kamo Intermediate and then WBHS. He holds a bachelor of management studies from Waikato University and is a partner in a local software development business. He believes in the need for public spaces that are accessible, welcoming and allow for the incubation of ideas and projects that have a social and community focus. As well as liking music, books, art, thearte and community radio, Matt, oddly, has an interest in NFP governance. He currently sits on a number of NFP boards focusing on education and the environment and he previously chaired The Quarry Arts Centre trust and Kamo School.

I am a local creative, and have lived in Whangarei my whole life. I was introduced to the local creative scene by the awesome locals who inhabit Whangarei. I work for our family business running youth mentoring programs, life skills workshops, and motivational training programs for our young people. In my life, ONEONESIX has always been a local watering hole for creatives, and has held a space for all to enjoy. I’m glad to be a part of it and look forward to the future of ONEONESIX. 

Jason Taylor (Ngāti Maniapoto/Waikato-Tainui) is a screen producer based in Te Tai Tokerau,
Aotearoa New Zealand. Jason is an ambitious storyteller with a strong advocacy for sharing
cultural narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.

Jason was the recipient of a New Zealand Film Commission ‘He Ara Business and Slate Development’ grant. The grant empowered his production company, Tai Huri Films, to embark on an exciting journey of developing a diverse slate of screen projects, ranging from animation to premium scripted series, feature films, and new factual formats. Notably, Jason made his series producing debut with the well-received release of “The Barber Shop,” a captivating six-part documentary series for RNZ’s youth platform, TAHI.

His debut short film, The Turning Tide, garnered acclaim at the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, securing the coveted “Best Music in a Short Drama” award. The film’s excellence was showcased at several prestigious festivals, including the Māoriland Film Festival, NZ International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, and imagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto.

Jason is embracing a valuable learning journey under the expert guidance and mentorship of two prolific producers in the screen industry, Rhonda Kite ONZM and Lloyd Meiklejohn, as he continues to forge his path in the realm of film and television. Dedicated to empowering rangatahi in telling their stories, Jason is excited to be on the ONEONESIX board where he will seek to extend his support to the vibrant Whangārei arts community.