Nethmi Karunanayake (SGCNZ NSSP 2013, SGCNZ YSC 2014)

Since being selected for SGCNZ NSSP 2013 and SGCNZ YSC 2014, Nethmi Karunanayake had the privilege of winning the Johnson-Kelly Award for Performer of the Year at Western Heights High School. With the closing of that year, she also received her final Trinity Guild Hall Grade 8 Speech and Drama examinations with Distinction.  The skills and confidence Nethmi gained in SGCNZ YSC and NSSP have been incredibly valuable, both on and off the stage, in all areas of her life.

During her university years, Nethmi was a part of the Auckland Stray Theatre Company, featuring in two main bills: the absurdist play Rhinocerous by Ionesco, as well as an original immersive theatre production, Smokescreen, directed by Caleb Wells. Since graduating, she plans to continue her involvement in theatre, drama, and the arts in the years to come.