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Westlake Productions
Westlake Boys' High School X Westlake Girls' High School
About
Westlake
Productions
Where students create, perform and bring stories to life.
Westlake Productions, presented by Westlake Boys High School and Westlake Girls High School, brings together students and staff from across the Westlake community to create ambitious, high-quality theatre.
Westlake Productions Timeline
Assassins
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Best Musical
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🏆 People's Choice Award
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🏆 Outstanding Lighting Design
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🏆 Outstanding Sound Design
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🏆 Best Supporting Actress – Lina Kim
Assassins was a bold departure for Westlake Productions, presenting a dark, provocative and politically charged musical that explored the lives and motivations of nine people who attempted to assassinate U.S. Presidents.
Directed by Nick Brown, the production brought Sondheim’s complex score to life with a 14-piece student orchestra, striking lighting design and an innovative set built from covered boxes and digital projections. The production examined the people behind some of America's most infamous political acts, challenging audiences to understand their motivations without excusing their actions.
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by John Weidman
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown
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Musical Director: Warwick Robinson
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Technical Director: Lee McClymont
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Set / Scenic Designer: Mr Masterton
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Lighting Designer: Carl Bennett
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Best Play
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🏆 Best Supporting Actor — Joe Jackson
Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ Awards
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🏆 Outstanding Movement Award
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🏆 Critics’ Choice Award — Grant Zent
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🏆 NSSP Award (UK) — Izzy Shield
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🏆 NSSP Award (UK) — Connor Charlesworth
Westlake Schools brought Shakespeare’s beloved comedy to life in a bold bicultural reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Blending Shakespearean language with te reo Māori, waiata, tikanga, Māori movement and elements of Aotearoa’s flora and fauna, the production created a uniquely Westlake interpretation of the classic tale of lovers, fairies and mischief. The production was recognised with Best Play at the iTicket Showdown Awards, alongside several other awards for its performance and movement.
Author & Playwright by William Shakespeare
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown
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Technical Director: Lee McClymont
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, Mark Masterton & Lee McClymont
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Lighting Designer: Jack Woodgate
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Sound Designer: Lee McClymont
Sweeny Todd
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Best Musical
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🏆 People’s Choice Award
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🏆 Outstanding Performance by a Cast
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🏆 Best Actor — Connor Charlesworth
Westlake Schools brought Stephen Sondheim’s dark and thrilling musical Sweeney Todd to the stage in 2017. Set in Victorian London, the story follows the vengeful barber Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett, whose infamous pie shop becomes the centre of a tale of revenge, obsession and murder. The production was celebrated for its powerful performances and demanding musical score, earning Best Musical and the People’s Choice Award at the iTicket Showdown Awards.
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown
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Musical Director: Warwick Robinson
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Choreographer: Georgia Calverley & Nick Brown
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Technical Director: Lee McClymont
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, Mark Masterton & Lee McClymont
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Lighting Designer: Alek Ristic
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Sound Designer: Lee McClymont
Les Misérables
Westlake Schools brought the epic musical Les Misérables to the stage in 2019 in one of the school’s largest productions. Featuring approximately 100 student actors, a 30-piece student orchestra and 20 students working backstage and in technical roles, the production brought revolutionary France to life on an extraordinary scale. Exploring themes of love, sacrifice, justice and redemption, Les Misérables attracted more than 3,500 audience members across its season and received six awards, including Auckland Live Best Production and the iTicket Showdown People’s Choice Award.
Music & Lyrics by Claude-Michel Schönberg / Herbert Kretzmer
Book by Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown
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Musical Director: Warwick Robinson
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Choreographer: Katie Brown & Juliette LaVille
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Technical Director: Sam Mence
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, Danny Lee & Mark Masterton
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Lighting Designer: Alek Ristic
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Sound Designer: Daniel Kwon & Andy Wang
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Outstanding Lighting Design
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🏆 Outstanding Sound Design
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🏆 Best Musical Direction
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🏆 Best Direction
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🏆 The iTicket People’s Choice Award
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🏆 Outstanding Production of 2019
Youthquake
YouthQuake was an original piece of performance ethnography created by Nick Brown, MJ Milburn and 70 student performers, exploring what it meant to be young in 21st-century Aotearoa New Zealand. Developed through the experiences, voices and perspectives of its students, the production presented a series of bold, thought-provoking vignettes tackling issues including racism, gender stereotypes, the #MeToo movement and global politics. Incorporating multilingual scenes that reflected the diverse backgrounds of its cast, YouthQuake gave young people the opportunity to tell their own stories and explore how they understood and navigated the world around them.
Written by Nick Brown & MJ Milburn
Inspired by the staff & students of Westlake
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown & MJ Milburn
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Technical Director: Lee McClymont
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, Mark Masterton & Lee McClymont
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Lighting Designer: Alek Ristic
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Sound Designer: Sam Mence & Andy Wang
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Outstanding Lighting Design
Socially Distanced Shakespeare
When conventional theatre wasn't possible, Westlake found another way.
Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, Socially Distanced Shakespeare reimagined the theatrical experience for a socially distanced audience. Six audiences travelled through the Westlake Boys’ auditorium in small groups, encountering six different Shakespeare plays performed simultaneously across specially created performance spaces.
With 65 students involved across the casts and crews, the production demanded extraordinary coordination, with six teams operating together as one. What began as a challenge became an inventive and memorable theatrical experience, ultimately receiving three Auckland Live Showdown Awards, including Best Play, Best Technical Design and Best Direction.
Written by William Shakespeare
Devised by Nick Brown
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown, Lee McClymont, MJ Milburn & Rachel Smith
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, Lee McClymont, MJ Milburn, Rachel Smith, Mark Masterton & the Year 13 Technical Production class
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Lighting & Sound Designer: Year 12 Technical Production class
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Best Play
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🏆 Best Technical Design
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🏆 Best Direction
Government Inspector
Westlake Schools brought Nikolai Gogol’s hilarious and biting satire The Government Inspector to the stage in 2022. Set in a small Russian town, the play follows a group of corrupt officials who panic when they hear a government inspector is coming to investigate them — only to mistake a travelling civil servant for the inspector. Packed with mistaken identity, bribery and political satire, the production delivered a sharp and energetic comedy about corruption, greed and human foolishness.
Author & Playwright Nikolai Gogol
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown & Rachel Smith (The Government Inspector); MJ Milburn (Antigone)
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Technical Director: Sam Mence & Brad Jansen
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, MJ Milburn, Rachel Smith & the Year 11, 12 & 13 Technical Production class
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Lighting & Sound Designer: Year 11, 12 & 13 WBHS Technical Production class
Antigone
Westlake Schools brought Sophocles’ timeless Greek tragedy Antigone to the stage in 2022. Following Antigone as she defies King Creon’s command to honour her fallen brother, the play explores the clash between personal conviction, family loyalty and the authority of the state. Powerful, uncompromising and deeply human, Antigone challenged audiences to consider the consequences of standing up for what you believe is right.
Author & Playwright Nikolai Gogol
Into the Woods
Westlake Schools brought Stephen Sondheim’s magical musical Into the Woods to the stage in 2023. Bringing together beloved fairytale characters including Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood and the Baker and his Wife, the production explored what happens after “happily ever after.” Filled with humour, heart and a soaring Sondheim score, Into the Woods was a spectacular celebration of collaboration between Westlake’s students and creative team.
Author & Playwright James Lapine
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown
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Musical Director: Warwick Robinson
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Choreographer: Darren Royston
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Technical Director: Brad Jansen
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, Warwick Robinson, Carla Owen, Dudley Young, Kerry Carson & Jo Blackwell
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Lighting Designer: Alek Ristic & William Sole
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Sound Designer: Brad Jansen & Ian Wang
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Best Production — 2023
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🏆 Best Direction — Nick Brown
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🏆 Best Musical Direction — Warwick Robinson
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🏆 Best Leading Actor in a Musical — Katie Brown
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🏆 Best Supporting Actor in a Musical — Gabby Galao
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🏆 Best Sound Design — Brad Jansen & Ian Wang
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🏆 Best Costume Design — Molly Smith
Mamma Mia!
Westlake Schools brought the feel-good musical Mamma Mia! to the stage in 2025. Set on a sun-soaked Greek island, the story follows Sophie as she invites three men from her mother Donna’s past to her wedding, hoping to discover which one is her father. Filled with ABBA’s unforgettable hits, laughter, romance and plenty of heart, Mamma Mia! was a joyful celebration of love, friendship, family and finding your own way.
Author & Playwright Catherine Johnson
Music & Lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown & Sonia Manson
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Musical Director: Warwick Robinson
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Choreographer: Carla Owen
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Technical Director: Brad Jansen
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, Hannah Columbus, Danny Lee, Carla Owen, Sonia Manson & Jo Blackwell
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Lighting Designer: Kiwi Shearer, Dion Inglis, & Alek Ristic
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Sound Designer: Matthew McLaggan & Reuben Hodgson
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play — Nikau Alexander
Three Birds Alighting on a Field
Author & Playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker
Westlake Schools presented Timberlake Wertenbaker’s sharp and witty comedy Three Birds Alighting on a Field in 2025. Set amongst the glamorous and often pretentious world of contemporary art, the play explores wealth, ambition, status and the search for meaning in a world obsessed with image and value. Clever, provocative and often hilarious, the production challenged audiences to question what we truly value — and why.
Together, the productions involved 135 actors, 10 musicians and 25 stage crew, supported by staff and parent helpers.
Crazy for You
Westlake Schools brought the joyful, high-energy musical Crazy for You to the stage in 2024. Set in 1930s America, the story follows Bobby Child, a wannabe Broadway dancer who travels to a small Nevada town and sets out to save its struggling theatre — discovering love and plenty of laughs along the way. Featuring classic Gershwin songs, spectacular choreography and Westlake’s first production to incorporate tap dancing, Crazy for You was a vibrant celebration of musical theatre and the Golden Age of Broadway.
Written by Ken Ludwig
Music & Lyrics by George & Ira Gershwin
Creative Team
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Director: Nick Brown
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Producer: Nick Brown, Kasey Hani Lui, & Michael Wassell
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Musical Director: Christopher Moore (Crazy for You)
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Choreographer: Carla Owen
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Technical Director: Brad Jansen
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Set / Scenic Designer: Nick Brown, Dudley Young, Joon-Hee Park, Danny Lee, Carla Owen & Jo Blackwell
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Lighting Designer: Andre Ellis, Blair Tudehope & Lukas Filip, & Alek Ristic
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Sound Designer: Brad Jansen & Kiwi Shearer
Showdown Awards
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🏆 Outstanding Production of 2024
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🏆 Best Director — Nick Brown
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🏆 Outstanding Stage Management — Kasey Hani Lui
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🏆 Best Properties Design — Carlos J. Allport, Christine Bader, Nick Brown, Aurelie Kerbellec & Michael Wassell
Three Musketeers
Adapted by Ken Ludwig
Adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas
Westlake Schools brought the swashbuckling adventure of The Three Musketeers to the stage in 2024. Following the young and ambitious D’Artagnan as he joins forces with Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the production was filled with sword fights, daring escapes, romance and larger-than-life characters. With two alternating casts and a large ensemble of students from both Westlake Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools, it was an ambitious celebration of action, friendship and theatrical spectacle.
In 2024, Westlake Productions did something it had never done before.
Two major productions. One year.
Crazy for You brought the glamour and energy of the Golden Age of Broadway to Westlake, while The Three Musketeers delivered an action-packed theatrical adventure. Both productions were major successes, with numerous sold-out performances.
Pride & Prejudice
Westlake Schools bring Jane Austen’s beloved romantic comedy Pride & Prejudice to the stage in 2026. Follow the spirited Elizabeth Bennet as she navigates family chaos, social expectations and her complicated first impressions of the mysterious Mr Darcy. Filled with sharp wit, romance and unforgettable characters, this lively production celebrates one of literature’s greatest love stories while exploring pride, prejudice and the dangers of judging a book by its cover.
Playwright Andrew Davies
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
7
Best Showtitle Awards
37
Showdown Awards
7
Best Actor Awards
7
Technical Awards
Best Direction Award
4
More Than Whats on Stage
Designers.
Stage Crew.
Technicians.
Actors.
Musicians.
Dancers.
Singers.
A Westlake production is an enormous undertaking.
The audience might see sixty performers on stage, but behind them can be dozens more students working across every aspect of the production.
From Rehearsal to Stage
Hover over the image.
Work Behind the Curtain
The students are supported by a dedicated team of teachers, professional creatives, technicians, musicians and production staff.
Our staff bring years of experience across directing, musical direction, choreography, technical theatre, stage management, design and education.
But their role is not simply to make the show.
It is to teach students how to make the show. Rehearsal rooms become classrooms. A technical rehearsal becomes a lesson in problem-solving. A production meeting becomes an opportunity to learn communication and leadership. Opening night becomes the culmination of months of collaboration. Our creative teams set high expectations because we know our students are capable of meeting them.
We give young people the support, training and trust they need to reach a professional standard.
