TAHI Team 2025

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.

Production Manager

Isadora, aka Izzi, Lao is a queer Chinese multidisciplinary artist, lighting designer, and stage manager based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. With a background in theatre, live performance, and slowly weaseling their way to the dark side (aka film), Izzi creates immersive visual environments that enhance storytelling and invite connection. Their practice spans lighting, set design, and stage management, with a deep love for using their hands to learn—including handmade lighting fixtures, gardening, and dabbling in anything that snatches their attention. Self-taught in many areas, Izzi blends technical skill with intuition, shaping work that reflects identity, process, and place. At the heart of their practice is a commitment to empowering and creating safe, collaborative spaces—especially for BIPOC and queer communities. In 2023, they were awarded Lighting Designer of the Year at the Wellington Theatre Awards, and have received multiple Fringe Festival accolades for their design work.

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

Hatch Stage Manager, Prod and Tech Support/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."

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.

Technician/ Operator
They/them

Emma (Em) Maguire is a theatremaker and jack-of-most-trades based in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara with nearly a decade of professional experience. Their interests lie in theatrical intimacy, digital theatre and sound design, and they run the theatre company Tempest. For more of Emma's work, check out their website.

‘GRASSROOTS' AV Designer

Grace O'Brien is an aspiring theatre, film and visual artist, born in Tāmaki Makaurau. She works in a variety of mediums and platforms including event design, set, video, lighting and costume for theatre, as well as art department and directing for film. Her work is often informed by her indian/irish descent, exploring themes of femininity, cultural identity and whenua in filmic, visual and performance art spaces.

Film/Design Intern

Clydille-Rave Abbott comes from Tokoroa and is currently a student studying Masters of Fine Arts, Design at Victoria University of Wellington. Specialising in 3D animation, she also has filming experience and is interning at TAHI Festival 2025 doing filming and video editing.

Design Intern and Operator

Nathan Arnott (any pronouns) is a Wellington-based freelance set designer, set builder, props maker, sound designer, and performer.

They have been a part of the Wellington theatre scene since 2021, when they became a student at Victoria University. In their undergraduate they studied Theatre, Education, Media, Art History, and completed their Bachelor of Arts in 2023. They are currently working towards their MFA (Creative Practice) in Theatre at Victoria University and working as a set builder and performer in the Wellington theatre scene.

Nathan is deeply passionate about dystopian design and experimental theatre that breaks conventional norms. They believe that design should be something that activates the senses and ignites a warmth and passion in people - to make them leave the theatre with a gleam in their eye. Nathan also believes that design and building in theatre should be accessible to everyone. As a disabled designer themself, they understand the struggles that come alongside accessing the creative side of theatre.