Help get Priya to The Globe!

Kia ora! My name is Priya Bartlett and theatre and performance have always been a huge part of who I am. I am incredibly proud and grateful to have been selected as one of just 24 students from across Aotearoa to be part of the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand Young Shakespeare Company 2026. 

This prestigious opportunity will see me travel to London in July 2026, where I will spend three weeks training, studying Shakespeare, and rehearsing alongside 23 other passionate young NZ actors before performing on Shakespeare’s own Globe stage. We will also take part in workshops, explore Shakespeare-related history, and deepen our understanding of classical performance. 

Being chosen for this company is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will have a lasting impact on my future as I pursue acting and creative opportunities alongside and after university. The total cost of the trip is approximately $12,670 NZD, and alongside grants and local fundraising, as well as working, I would be extremely grateful for any support to help make this journey possible!

I am 17 years old and beginning a double degree in Law and Theatre Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. I am deeply grateful for my support network, particularly my family, who have encouraged and guided my passions from a young age. I am extremely privileged to have been provided with many opportunities. 

I am especially thankful to Ruth Agnew, my speech and drama teacher, and Kate Olliver, my drama teacher at Burnside High School, who have been outstanding mentors. Their guidance through the Christchurch Speech and Drama Competitions and NCEA Drama supported me in achieving my Associate Diploma in Speech and Drama (Performance), and having the opportunity to perform in several shows.

Helen Balch was also an exceptional teacher who taught and mentored me in speech and drama over several years. She coached me through numerous examinations with dedication and care, and her guidance played a pivotal role in my development. I would not be where I am today without her support.

Although this trip is only 3 weeks long, it involves significant costs due to the high caliber of the program. I require a total of approximately $12,670 NZD to cover the course costs, flights, accommodation, insurance, taxes, workshop fees, as well as food and daily living expenses. 

On my own, I am fundraising, working and applying for grants. The money donated here will all be greatly appreciated and used towards the trip. 

The SGCNZ Young Shakespeare Company is a nationally selected group of secondary school students chosen to represent Aotearoa New Zealand in an international performance at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Selection is highly competitive and follows success at the SGCNZ Shakespeare Festival, including progression through regional and national levels and participation in the National Shakespeare Schools Production, an intensive program focused on advanced performance training and ensemble work. From this process, only 24 out of the initial 4000 students are invited to join the Young Shakespeare Company. 

As part of the program, we will travel to England for three weeks, engaging in further specialist workshops and rehearsals before performing a Shakespearean work on the Globe stage—an opportunity rarely granted outside of the theatre’s professional companies. This experience has been a dream of mine for several years, and I would be extremely grateful for your support in making it possible.

This trip represents a significant step in my artistic and personal development, offering immersive training and exposure that is not readily available in Aotearoa. The skills, discipline, and creative insight I gain will extend far beyond my own practice. After I have returned from the program, I intend to actively contribute to my community by sharing this knowledge through performance, collaboration, and mentorship, particularly with rangatahi who may not otherwise have access to such opportunities. 

By bringing international perspectives back into local spaces, I hope to help foster confidence, curiosity, and creative ambition in others, and to strengthen the wider performing arts community through informed, generous practice. With your support, emerging performers are fostered and the performing arts are strengthened within my community and beyond.