Stephen Dallow (class of 1993), Celebrating 30 Years in Theatre
Wednesday, 26 May 2021

When I was asked to write for the Listonian it was pertinent timing as this year I celebrate 30 years in the theatre world, a journey which began at the age of 16 while attending Liston College. 

My passion for the arts and music came from a young age.  My parents, with annual subscriptions to the Mercury Theatre and to the Auckland Philharmonia, took me along to everything they could, and my passion was ignited.  My uncle John Dallow was always in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical somewhere, usually playing the Mikado, so I was hooked on all things dramatic. 

Then at Liston College I met Mr Paul Norrell, the first mentor in my world who brought the subject of Music to life and who directed the school productions.

Starting off in the ensemble, in the very uniquely catholic show, ‘Hattak the Eunuch’, I then progressed to being a bird in a tree for ‘The Twits’ - making a grand entrance opening night unaware of a leak on stage from the gym roof and this bird went arse-over-face in the opening number.  No flash theatre’s back then, everything was staged in the ever-leaking gym.

But then my moment of fame came, ‘Oliver.’ But I didn’t score the role first up, in fact I am sure the audition process would cause some letters to the school board if it happened today.  The student playing the role had another commitment so a new one was needed. I was taken into the boys’ toilet by three teachers and literally stood at the Urinal singing for them. Yes - three teachers, toilet, urinal, you are reading correctly, however the boys’ toilet in a gym gives a great acoustic sound and I got the part.  Anyway, Oliver it was, and I loved every second despite having laryngitis for some performances which was a nightmare. 

Paul Norrell was a teacher like no other, he could strike fear in you with a quick turn and give you that look of “behave and be quiet,” then he would play a track from the movie Amadeus and completely melt your heart into loving the story and the music as he gave everything to the lesson.  This amazing quality in a teacher had me hooked and in recent years I was luckily enough to bring Paul to teach at my own drama school, Kids 4 Drama in Blockhouse Bay and this has been so special. He has continued to inspire many through theatre and film around the world.

While performing in Oliver I was spotted and invited to perform in a show at Waitemata Little Theatre, a group that was operating out of the then Assid Corban Rec Centre.  At 12 I suddenly had this second family.  Children, teenagers, and adults of all ages (and I mean all ages) performing and working together to stage theatre, it was something so special. This amazing place set the groundwork for what has become 30 years of mixed ages working together.  This is the model I love to work under.  Kids and adults working, learning from each other and younger children watching their role models of the teenagers, it creates a pretty special environment.

By 16 I had directed my first full scale musical, ‘Peter Pan’ and the theatrical journey was well underway.

Making a living in the arts is difficult, especially when raising a family so it has always been a journey of juggles and I have been lucky to have some amazing full-time roles while keeping Kids 4 Drama alive after hours.

A highlight was working for Applied Theatre Consultants, delivering a programme through drama that provided a safe space for participants to talk about issues around family violence and abuse.  Working with this amazing team excited me into using theatre in different ways which I have enjoyed through many projects over the years.  Theatre can be a tool in a teacher’s toolbox. It doesn’t have to be a production but a way of interacting, especially with boys who like to learn by doing things on their feet. I have loved inspiring many teachers over the years to try different ways of teaching.

Currently I work managing Training and Recruitment for Barfoot and Thompson’s Property Management teams.  A busy role and while in the corporate setting, their values and beliefs align very much with the Catholic values we were brought up on and so it really feels good to work in a company that puts family, integrity, and trust before anything.  My classrooms there always have a mix of structured type learning and lots of interaction!  As a company they support my work in the arts and community settings which in turn gives them a loyal staff member.

I have enjoyed the last five years as Board Chairperson for Marist College which certainly in 2020 Covid times threw some challenges our way.  For the past three years I have directed the annual school production for St Peter’s College, which in 2021 combined with Marist College, and I also host two radio shows, one on the Arts and one on Property each week for Planet Fm, and still support a few charities with events and governance.  On top of this I have two amazing girls whose years of watching ‘Annie’ and ‘Cats’ paid off and they love being involved in the theatre and are very talented.

It is impossible to sum up 30 incredible years in just a page and a bit but when I reflect back, I am so grateful to the start of the journey, in a humble music room, with an outgoing teacher and a school that allowed me to simply be me.

Stephen Dallow