Leon Wadham – 2011

Leon Wadham grew up in Karori, attending Karori Normal School and then Onslow College with whom he participated in SGCNZ’s Festivals in 2005 and 2006. Before graduating from Toi Whakaari he had also already performed at BATS and Circa, co-written plays and demonstrated his versatility in Toi Whakaari’s Cabaret evening held at the Museum Hotel.

Leon has performed for Auckland Theatre Company (Lord of the Flies), Silo (Tribes), Circa (The Cape), Q Theatre (The Pitchfork Disney) and BATS (Tinderbox). He was a series lead in TV2’s hit drama Go Girls and has appeared in numerous other screen projects, including the TV productions When We Go To War, Terry Teo and Pirates of the Airwaves and the films Under The Mountain, Cardinal and Shopping. He has had the privilege of working alongside some of New Zealand’s most esteemed performing artists, including Colin McColl, Lee Tamahori, Miranda Harcourt, Shane Bosher, Sophie Roberts, Michael Hurst, Jo Randerson and Jennifer Ward-Lealand.

In addition to his performance work, Leon co-wrote Live At Six with Dean Hewison for Downstage, wrote for TV3 sitcom Sunny Skies, directed Second Afterlife for Young & Hungry and co-directed both Tom Keeper Passes for Long Cloud Youth Theatre. In 2014 his short film School Night, co-created by Eli Kent, premiered in competition at the NZ International Film Festival. Their next film, Moving, has been funded by The New Zealand Film Commission.

Last 19 months:

– I was selected as the first Silo Theatre and Basement Theatre Director in Residence Intern, working with Sophie Roberts on The Events and Kip Chapman on Hudson & Halls: Live! as well as on development work for both theatres.

– I shot a role in the feature film Pork Pie and will begin shooting a role in the Dance Exponents telemovie Why Does Love? next week.

– I created new show Milky Bits with young comedy heroes Chris Parker and Hayley Sproull, which played in Auckland and Wellington to sold out houses and rave reviews.

– I completed a new short film called Moving with co-director Eli Kent, which has just hit the festival circuit and has already played in competition at the Melbourne International Film Festival and the New Zealand International Film Festival.

– I am currently preparing to direct Vernon God Little with The Actors’ Program class of 2016.