Lorna Ashton - President

I joined the Riverlea family 1988 and not long after became a Musikmakers committee member rising to the rank of President and achieving the Long Service Medal. I joined Hamilton Playbox committee in 2004 and have been Treasurer for many of those years. I am honoured to be the recipient of a Playbox Long Service Medal. I am also the recipient to a service medal from Theatre NZ. I spent quite a few years abroad working in community cable t-v and worked in schools and libraries both here and overseas with reading programmes and drama classes. I was pivotal in the Community Arts Council in Huntly. I have enjoyed performing over the years and attending workshops. I particularly enjoy acting and directing for the One Act Play Festivals.

Chris Lockley - Vice-President

Chris' love for theatre started as a child, being taken to see shows like "My Fair Lady" and "The Mikado" at Riverlea Theatre in the late 1990's. After university, he felt the call of the limelight and auditioned for Playbox's "A Comedy of Errors" in 2016. He has gone on to perform in roles such as Captain Hook and Victor Frankenstein - and can even occasionally be caught singing in a Christmas Show.

Chris is enthusiastic to help carry on the Playbox legacy.

Mark Perry - Committee

In 1991 Mark was dragged along to Riverlea by a work colleague were he started out as a stagehand for "Stepping Out". Since then he has been involved with many aspects of theatre (lighting design and operation, sound design and operation, props, stage manager, bar manager, set construction, etc) in productions too numerous to count. It is not unusual for him to be somehow involved in most (if not all) productions at Riverlea Theatre.

He was president of Hamilton Playbox from 2008 to 2010. Mark designed and maintains the Hamilton Playbox website and has a keen interest in the history of the society.

For the crime of being too involved in theatre he was awarded a Life Membership to Hamilton Playbox in 1999 and in 2012 was nominated (by Musikmakers) and awarded a Merit Award from Musical Theatre New Zealand (MTNZ). In 2014 Mark was awarded a Life Membership to Musikmakers and in 2017 received a Hamilton City Merit Award for services to theatre.

Jayden Watkins - Committee

My journey in Theatre started back in 2016 at Kensington St Theatre in Putaruru.  Since then I have had a love for all forms of art whether it was Performing Arts or Fine Arts.  Since my involvement with theatre I believe that performing arts is one of the best ways to help today's youth grow in basic life skills, like confidence and ettiquette, amongst many other life skills.  Being the youngest member on the Hamilton Playbox Committee I hope to bring new ideas and perspectives with me.

Hugh Field - Committee

My involvement in theatre goes back to appearing in various school productions but has been fostered in more recent years as my eldest daughter has wanted be involved.  I’ve played a Dame in pantomime in the UK and more recently an eccentric professor in “Get Smart” at Riverlea.  I’ve also helped on sets for the MusikMakers junior shows “Annie” and “Madagascar” and was the Chief Mech on “Alice in Wonderland” and Playbox’s “Move over Mrs Markham”.  I’ve had a go at Stage Management and will be trying my hand at producing at 2022.  Whilst the backstage tasks are far less stress than learning lines, nothing beats the thrill of hearing a live audience laugh at a line you just delivered.

Jason Wing - Committee

Jason first found himself at Riverlea in 2011 attending Stagecraft classes, and was quickly recruited for a Musikmakers production.  He enjoyed several productions with Musikmakers before finding his home with Playbox.  Since joining the committee in 2016, Jason has thoroughly enjoyed learning about the various different things that come together behind the scenes to make a great show, and has been lucky to get some experience working on the production side of things, as well as acting.

Liz Sheppard - Committee

At five years of age, Liz started Speech and Drama with Shirley James.

Her father [Fred] had a fond interest in theatre and had been involved in musicals with Hamilton Operatic over the years. Liz and her parents would attend many theatre productions nationwide including Founders Theatre.

Her first show was in the children’s choir at Hamilton Operatic for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, in 1975.
Not too many years after this, her first production for Playbox was Aladdin in 1978. This is when they used to reside in Palmerston Street.

1998 was her first time in the door of Riverlea Theatre as part of the cast for A Kiwi Christmas, with Musikmakers. “I enjoyed the friendly welcoming faces and family-like atmosphere so much that I stayed, and have performed in a number of shows over the years for both Musikmakers [now Hamilton Musical Theatre] and Hamilton Playbox.”

Liz was fortunate to travel to Norfolk Island in 2012 for the N.A.T.S. One Act Play Festival, as part of the cast performing The Window, and was awarded ‘Excellence in Acting’ for her role in this production, which was directed by Lorna Ashton.

She has enjoyed performing in the One Act Plays, 24hr Play Challenge and Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival.

She co-directed Famous Flora in 2013 with the very talented Lee Owens.

Producer for Bullshot Crummond and Production Manager for Fantastic Mr. Fox.

“Just like that, how time flies; here I am twenty-five years later.”

Having rejoined the Playbox Committee in 2023, Liz is continuing to enjoy the theatre family as much as she did the first time she walked through the doors.

What Liz loves about theatre is the shared experiences with other people, the magic of interaction and space for human contact; it’s a place where people gather, a place for teamwork, a point of engagement and enlightenment, and where people are entertained. I think that’s culturally important.

Famed actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin once said, “Life is a play that does not allow testing. So, sing, cry, dance, laugh and live intensely, before the curtain closes and the piece ends with no applause.”

Ron Dalton - Committee

35 years ago I finally plucked up the courage to audition for my first show ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ It was love at first sight with theatre. Since then I have gone on to perform in numerous productions in Masterton, Thames and Hamilton both on stage and behind the scenes as well as participating in numerous Theatrefest productions with a notable achievement of being in an ensemble cast that won the 2017 overall best production. Recent on stage performances have been Calendar Girls, The Full Monty, Noises Off, Directing and performing in ‘The Diaries of Adam and Eve’ and Directing ‘Bullshot Crummond’.

Graham Pollard - Committee

My fondest childhood memories are of being in a little UK theatre where my Dad was either in or directing everything. I made my stage debut beside him when I was 6 in A Christmas Carol (well over a century after Dickens wrote it!) and at age 10 I was a mean, nasty King Herod who got booed off by the teachers and infants at school! Great fun!

In New Zealand I have been part of theatre companies in Taupo, Dargaville, Hamilton and Te Awamutu. I have been honoured to be trusted with the premiers of One Hill of a Fight and No Dinner For Sinners (first NZ performance). I first appeared at the Riverlea in 2016 as another baddie in BullshotCrummond followed by A Comedy of Errors. In some shows I have developed the art of acting in small corners of the stage. Other Playbox credits include Peter Pan, Frankenstein, The BFG, Sherlock Holmes - The Baker Street Irregulars(Moriarty, yet another baddie!), and Geezers. As well as being onstage, I am interested in directing more and writing more, and picking up odd – sometimes very odd – screen roles. Professionally I am represented by The Human Agency in Auckland [quick plug there – where’s my commission?].

Arthur Van Resseghem - Committee

My involvement with Riverlea began when my daughter expressed a desire to participate in acting classes. After exploring various options in Hamilton, I discovered Stagecraft, which appeared to be an ideal fit for her. I would regularly pick her up from Stagecraft and inquire about her experience. She would share her activities with me, and I would remark that acting seemed straightforward, as it merely involved pretending, despite my own lack of acting experience.

When my daughter informed me about an audition opportunity for a show, I realized it was an opportune moment to support my assertion. Consequently, I auditioned, secured a role, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience ever since. Since 2023, I have participated in four Playbox productions. I firmly believe that creativity and the arts constitute a vital aspect of humanity that is frequently under appreciated.

Nina Brassington - Committee

Since becoming a theatre-loving addict in 2022, Riverlea has been a place for me to thrive and meet like minded people. My first involvement with Hamilton Playbox was doing 'Fantastic Mr Fox' 2023.Since then my passion for theatre has grown even more. I love the feeling of performing on stage and the friends and amazing memories you pick up along the way. Theatre is my happy, happy place and I hope to do many more shows with Hamilton Playbox in the future.