TAHI Team 2026

Festival Director, Producer, Hatch Facilitator
She/Her

Dr Sally Richards is a director, teacher, deviser and producer. Her research investigates the rehearsal room relationship between the director and the solo performer. She is the creator , producer and artistic director of the TAHI: New Zealand Festival of Solo Performance. now a biennial fixture in Pōneke Wellington. Sally’s most recent directing work includes the polylogues Batch, Joy, Whānau, and Ono - six Māori and Pasifika writers on the theme of Aroha/Alofa/Love at Circa Theatre.

Marketing Manager

Emily is a communications and marketing specialist who helps creative projects find their audience. She has worked with organisations of all sizes, from NZ startups to global enterprises, focusing on purpose-driven projects for social good. With a background in brand, digital marketing, community engagement, and content strategy, she brings a practical, people-first approach to arts communications. Emily has worked on a range of festival and performance projects across Pōneke, supporting producers, not-for-profits, and arts organisations to build buzz and grow their reach. She's especially passionate about storytelling that reflects the energy, diversity, and voice of NZ's creative communities.

Website Manager
He/Him

Jacob Cleghorn has recently completed his Master of Fine Arts (CP) in Theatre at Victoria University of Wellington. Jacob’s passion is creating theatre that explores identity and culture through understanding history. Jacob recently debuted his show ‘FRACTURE’ at BATS Theatre which explored the stories of survivors of the 1931 Napier Earthquake. As well as working for TAHI Jacob is the Assistant Producer for PlayShop and has been involved in the 6 Degrees Festival and Second Unit and is developing his skills as an emerging Producer

Graphic Designer
She/Her

Aimée (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary designer who has been supporting businesses and charities in social media management, content creation and marketing for three years. She has worked extensively across the arts, and has designed posters for theatre companies across the motu. She currently resides in Te Whanganui a Tara.

Festival Photographer
She/Her

Dianna Thomson is a freelance photographer based in Wellington. Originally trained as a registered nurse Dianna uses her skills gathered from working with diverse communities to engage with and capture people in a natural and candid way. She has worked with international companies such as Illumina to capture children with rare disease, Hutt City Council photographing children at play for their pukutākaro project and for the Ministry of Education for their Gifted Children document.

HATCH Production Manager & Design/Tech Mentor

My name is Marshall and I'm a local theatre practitioner with a decade's worth of professional theatre experience.

As a multi-disciplinary artist, my skills branch into all corners of live performance. I frequently operate both local and touring theatre shows, I stage manage the Circa Theatre Pantomime, I have taught theatre technology at a tertiary level and most recently was the Lighting Designer of the hit show The Tiwhas! A Matariki Spectacular.

I'm also a theatre writer, having graduated with distinction from the Institute of Modern Letters' Script Writing program and because I cannot fathom having any free time at all, I write and facilitate tabletop RPG's for my friends whenever I find myself in between the roles described above."

Stage Manager - HATCH Showcase
She/Her

Emily Coyle (she/her) is a theatre-maker and emerging stage manager, currently based in her home city of Pōneke/Wellington. Her work is driven by an interest in emotional storytelling, collaboration, and the combination of music, movement and narrative. Emily is primarily interested in musical theatre and is drawn to concept albums and pop/rock musicals. She aims to create art that delivers powerful themes and meaningful messages whilst keeping the joy and entertainment of musical storytelling. She is also fascinated by cabaret, burlesque, physical theatre and immersive theatre, which celebrate bold expression and emotional performance with a focus on audience engagement. After completing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Otago, Emily is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) in Theatre at Victoria University of Wellington.