Michael Hurst 

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Michael Hurst has worked in theatre, film and television as both actor and director.

Michael has been celebrated widely as one of New Zealand’s leading theatre actors and directors , with scores of roles to his credit.He is also known for his innovative and compelling productions of Shakespeare, and, more recently, King Lear for Auckland Theatre Company and his solo work in plays such as The Golden Ass, No Holds Bard, The Daylight Atheist and An Iliad which he has toured successfully across NZ.

Highly regarded as a television director, he has pursued this aspect of his career for over 20 years, working on shows such as Spartacus, Westside and The Dead Lands. In 2003, he was made a New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate and, in 2005, he was appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to theatre.

Cassandra Woodhouse

Cassandra has been in the entertainment industry for 20 years. Having worked professionally on stage, film and as a model.

Cassandra is the founder of NZ Theatre Company which was born of the passion to create a company that supports, develops and sustains the arts. A strong advocate of mental health, Cassandra is committed to establishing an environment that promotes the wellness of artists and society through strong, conscious storytelling and providing employment opportunities that enable artists to feel supported & and sustained to further develop their craft and artistic careers.

From 2022 - 2023 Cassandra produced and performed a nationwide sell-out tour of the one-woman show HANNA by Sam Potter connecting her to thousands of people across NZ and with whom she shared an intimate, unforgettable and heartfelt experience with both on and off the stage. Her ability to hold space for audience members after sharing stories that can expose a lot of vulnerability is a gift that has her being welcomed back to venues all across NZ.

Suzie Miller 

Suzie Miller is a contemporary international playwright and screenwriter drawn to complex human stories often exploring injustice. Her plays have been produced in 40 productions around the world winning multiple prestigious awards, she has been commissioned by, or been in residence at theatres including London’s National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland, Griffin Theatre Australia, Theatre Gargantua Canada and La Boite Theatre Australia.

In 2020 her drama PRIMA FACIE (premiered 2019, Griffin Theatre) won the 2020 AWGIE for Drama; the 2020 David Williamson Award for Outstanding Theatre Writing; and the 2020 prestigious Major AWGIE across all categories of theatre, film and television. In previous years she has won amongst other awards, the National Griffin Theatre award (2018), the Kit Denton Award for Writing with Courage (2009); the NY Fringe Festival Overall Excellence Award for Outstanding Playwriting (2008); AWGIE for Radio Play writing (2013); Inscription (and a mentorship with Edward Albee 2006, 2009); and more.

It has now been translated in 20 languages.

PRIMA FACIE has enjoyed extraordinary acclaim in 2022 marking Suzie’s West End debut produced by Empire Street Productions and starring Jodie Comer before transferring to Broadway in 2023. In 2023 the production won the Tony Award for Best Actress (Jodie Comer) and the Olivier Award for Best New Play and Best Actress (Jodie Comer) and was nominated for a further 3 Olivier Awards along with the What’s On Stage Award London for Best New Play.