SKIN THEATRE 

We are a Palmerston North based theatre company which provides strong leadership and creative opportunities for local artists of all shapes, sizes and gender. We are a creative forum for emerging directors, designers and actors. We want to challenge the perception and role of women in society - particularly by creating stronger roles for women on stage and experimenting with the 'skin' that is placed upon gender by society.

 

Skin Theatre was first founded in 2013, by Maree Gibson, Kelly Harris and Lana Sklenars - three friends who had been a part of the wider Manawatu Performing Arts community for many years. They decided to challenge themselves as actors, directors and producers by establishing their own theatre company, which had a stronger focus on female roles. Skin Theatre also focusses on simple design, multiple roles and thought provoking ideas in the theatre they create. So far, they have produced five shows: Macbeth - an all female ensemble, Dark Deeds - a short theatre festival, Shakespeare and the City, as part of 'Shakespearience' Manawatu, The Laramie Project, and BITES - 8 plays, 8 actors, 80 minutes. In 2016, they will be exploring their roots as an all-female theatre company....!

Maree Gibson

Maree has performed in many community projects over the years, notably as The River Woman in The River, by Dr Angie Farrow, and as Beatrice in Manawatu Summer Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. She has also been a part of Before the Birds (Best supporting Actress Globe winner), the After Eden Theatre Company (Legend) and has taught English and Drama at Feilding High School for the past four years. She has directed for the Regional SGCNZ Shakespeare Festival, and Stage Managed two Major Productions at Feilding High. In 2013, she performed as Macbeth in Skin Theatre’s all-female production of Macbeth, gaining the award for Best Female Performance at the Manawatu Globe Theatre Awards. In 2014, she performed in Dark Deeds, under the direction of Rhian Firmin and as The Nurse from Romeo and Juliet and Mistress Page from the Merry Wives of Windsor in Shakespeare and the City. Apart from her passion for acting, Maree is an accomplished public speaker and has done numerous motivational talks for business and community groups. In 2014, she produced The Laramie Project and played numerous roles, contributing to the overall ensemble that won the Best Ensemble award at the Globe Theatre Awards. This year, in 2015, Maree has taken a break from teaching and helped co-produce BITES with The Playwright Association of NZ. She also performed in three of the plays. Maree has just been cast in the lead role, Mistress Page, in Manawatu Summer Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor - due on stage in March 2016. 

Kelly Harris

Kelly has taught English and Drama at Feilding High School for the last nine years. She has directed for the Massey University Drama Society and the Manawatu Festival of New Arts, and acted in many of Dr. Angie Farrow’s plays including Legend, Before the Birds, and The River. Kelly has also been a director of Productions at Feilding High School: Peter Pan (2011), Blood Brothers (2012) and For Today (2014). She has performed in five Manawatu Summer Shakespeare’s: The Comedy of Errors (Adriana) directed by Ralph Johnson, Romeo & Juliet (Lady Montague) directed by Ralph Johnson, All’s Well That End’s Well (The Widow) directed by Peter Hambleton, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Quince) directed by Jaime Dorner and Much Ado About Nothing (Ursula) directed by Amanda McRaven (for which Kelly was also Assistant Director). She has directed five National winning teams in the SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival. In 2012, her work won Most Outstanding Tragedy and Most Innovative and Imaginative Production and in 2013, the Most Outstanding Comedy. In 2011, Kelly was one of 20 teachers selected to attend the SGCNZ Teacher’s Go Global Workshops at the Globe Theatre in London – she spent two and a half weeks training with Globe practitioners and performed in Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Bill Buckhurst, on the Globe stage. Three of her students have so far been selected for the New Zealand Young Shakespeare Company. In 2014, she produced and directed for the short Theatre Festival Dark Deeds and Shakespeare and the City. Kelly also directed Jack and the Beanstalk for the Tall Poppies Youth Theatre Company and The Laramie Project, which won Best Ensemble at The Globe Theatre Awards. In April, Kelly spent two months at The Globe Theatre in London, as part of the SGCNZ Emerging Theatre Practitioner's Programme where she worked with students on Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing and learned from Globe Practitioners. She is co-produced BITES, as well as directing three of the plays. Currently, Kelly is beginning the process of directing Manawatu Summer Shakepseare's The Merry Wives of Windsor for the 2016 season.