Kelly Hocking

Principal

Kelly Hocking trained in acting, voice and dance at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. She studied singing with the late Tony Award winner, John Peck, and has gone on to study with several other renowned teachers in both classical and contemporary styles of singing.
In New Zealand, Kelly has performed in productions for The Fortune Theatre in Dunedin, The Court Theatre in Christchurch, Musical Theatre Dunedin, Taieri Musical Society, North Shore Musical Society in Auckland and in national touring productions for THETA. Credits include “Kate/Lucy” in Avenue Q, “Ellen” in Miss Saigon, “Roxie Hart” in Chicago, “Sally Bowles” in Cabaret, “Mrs. Banks” in Mary Poppins, “The Baker’s Wife” in Into The Woods, "Diva" in Priscila Queen of the Desert and "Glinda" in Wicked.  Kelly has performed as a lead vocalist with groups including The Oxo Cubans, St Kilda Brass and La Forza and is currently a member of The Divas managed by DKCM. Whilst in America she appeared in TV commercials and short films in addition to theatre.

Kelly was the first recipient of the full Level 3 certification in Applied Vocal Pedagogy and Voice Science from AtlasVoice. In 2014 she completed a course in Somatic Voicework© The LoVetri Method; which is dedicated to CCM (non-classical) styles of singing. Kelly is a mentor for voice teachers all over New Zealand and has a special interest in vocal health. 
 

Beth Waite 

Senior Teacher

Born in England and raised in Christchurch, Beth Waite has always been passionate about musical theatre. Whether it be performing, directing or selling tickets, she is never far from the stage.

This year saw her graduating with a Masters with Distinction in Theatre Studies from the University of Otago. In 2019, she also made her directorial debut with the play Women Like Us by Helen Varley Jamieson and produced by Little Scorpion Production company. She has worked with Arcade Theatre Company as the 2019 Front of House Manager, as well as a stage manager and actor. 2019 also saw her undertaking the role of Assistant director for Taieri Musical Society’s production of Blood Brothers.

Her performance credits include Ovation with Taieri Musical Society, The First Time with Arcade Theatre company, Chicago with North Canterbury Musical Society, The Sound of Music with The Court Theatre, and various productions throughout her time at the University of Otago.

Beth completed her Level 1 TOSCA qualification in 2019 and is delighted to work along side the talented team at The Voice Lab NZ.

Ben Johnson 

Teacher

Ben is currently working towards his Bachelor of Performing Arts at the University of Otago and is expected to finish his degree at the end of 2020. His most recent performance was Musical Theatre Dunedin’s Wicked at the beginning of 2019.

Ben also has a vast background in choral music as he was a Choral Scholar at the Christchurch Cathedral from 2015-2017. At the end of 2017 Ben had the pleasure of performing with Sol3Mio in their Christmas concert. In 2018 Ben completed his level 1 TOSCA certification and, since then, has started teaching musical theatre, contemporary, and basic classical technique.

Ashlee Maxwell

Teacher

Ashlee Maxwell is currently working towards her degree in psychology which she later hopes to follow through to music therapy.

Ashlee  has trained in contemporary singing with Kelly Hocking since the age of 13 and in 2018 she completed her level 1 TOSCA certification in vocal pedagogy through the voice lab.

She has performed in musical theatre and has had much experience in contemporary genres including pop, rock, blues and jazz.

In addition to performoing, Ashlee is passionate about songwriting and has entered solo songwriting competitions such as Smokefree Rockquest where she placed 2nd, Lions Songwriting Foundation and Play it Strange.

In 2017, Ashlee attended the National Youth Drama School in Napier where she studied musical theatre, acapella and improvisation in drama.

Olivia Pike 

Teacher

Olivia is a soprano and classical pianist, currently based in Dunedin after completing her Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice Performance at the University of Otago. She has extensive experience on the stage, performing regularly in both musical theatre and opera since high school. She has been a member of the NZ Opera Chorus since 2016, and competes in classical singing competitions around the country, with many successes – most notably winning the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Dunedin Aria Competition in 2018. She made her principal role debut as Donna Elvira in Opera Otago’s production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni that same year. 2021 will see Olivia returning to study, working towards a Masters of Music in Classical Voice Performance.

When not singing, Olivia is often found behind the piano, working as an accompanist/vocal coach for many local choirs, and freelancing as a pianist for singing competitions, and a variety of other projects. She has also been teaching piano privately since 2017, has been a Musical Director for several shows, and a sought after choral accompanist for events such as The Big Sing, at both the regional and national finale level.

Chelsea McRae

Teacher

Chelsea holds a Bachelor of Performing Art (Music Theatre) from National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art and previously completed Grade 5 ABRSM Music Theory (Merit) and papers in Certificate and Adult Tertiary Teaching (UCOL). She has spent time working in Sydney TVC represented by Lee Leslie Management and training with Estill trainer Peter Bodnar.

Previous theatre credits include original work Bachelor Party, Cathy Hiatt - The Last Five Years, Kirsty Knight - Shortland Street the Musical, Holly Sullivan - The Wedding Singer, Candy - Working, Bridget - Ragtime, Bea - The Collective, That Bloody Woman, The Skriker, Othello, A Comedy of Errors, The Wizard of Oz, Hazel Kirk and Grease.

Currently, Chelsea works at the University of Otago and is completing her postgraduate studies in Theatre. Her special interests include working with students in Musical Theatre to help them achieve their singing and acting goals.

Bethany Cook 

Teacher

Bethany is a singer/songwriter and musical theatre enthusiast based in Dunedin. Originally from Auckland, she came here to study at the University of Otago where she completed a Bachelor of Arts and Science, majoring in Theatre Studies and Psychology and a minor in Music. She holds a Trinity College ATCL diploma in Musical Theatre and gained acknowledgements from the university for her performance in Contemporary music and theatre. 

Bethany took part in all of her school productions growing up and recently got back into musical theatre. Last year, Bethany performed in That Bloody Woman with Taieri Musical Society and played Veronica for Heathers: The Musical with Pop Up Productions. Her main focus for 2022 is to work on her music career as a songwriter and recording artist while honing in her vocal tuition skills. She is especially keen to work with fellow songwriters and actors who want to work on their craft and storytelling through song. 

Affiliated Professionals 

Vocalise Therapy, Speech Language Pathologists www.vocalisetherapy.com 

Ez Zulkifly of A Plus Physio, voice physiotherapist, Dunedin - www.aplusphysio.co.nz/services-2/voice-physiotherapy/