CHRIS WILLIAMS

- WRITER/COMPOSER

In his day job, Chris runs Hamilton-based advertising and design agency, King St. He has worked in the creative field all his career. He was a columnist for the Waikato Times for 10 years and has written creative copy for all media. Over this time he has also developed his skills in song writing, performance and composition. He has written many songs over the last 6-7 years and has produced two albums - “Looking for a Song” and "Feel free to sing along" under his performing name, MIDDLEMAN. A self taught musician, he plays piano and guitar and does a bit of singing.

State Highway 48 is his first full musical, a project he has been working on for seven years. After two development seasons, the show was successfully toured through the North Island in 2016. Chris ran a development season for his second musical, The Quest, in 2018 and is now working on the next stage. The Quest is a parody of reality talent shows; it received excellent reviews. Another show is now in development and will be ready for launch early in 2020. 

MARK DENNISON

- MUSIC DIRECTOR

Professional Theatre:  Annie, Anything Goes, Blood Brothers, Cabaret, Cats, Chicago, Company, 42nd Street, Into the Woods, Jersey Boys, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Matilda, Phantom of the Opera, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Singing in the Rain, Song and Dance, The Secret Garden, The Sound of Music, West Side Story.

Theatre (composer): ‘Pete The Barefoot Postman’ (2001). For Intermediate school kids.  Regularly performed in NZ schools.

‘Kevin, the Musical’ (2014) : commissioned by the Comedy Festival in conjunction with comedian Steve Wrigley. Performances in Auckland Wellington and New York comedy festivals. Freda Stark the musical : currently in development.

Television:  NZ Idol (arranger), Showstoppers (Musical Director), TV2 Celebrity Christmas (Musical Director), Stars in their Eyes (Musical Director), Elaine Paige World Tour DVD, TV3 Telethon (Musical Director), To Sir With Love – a tribute to Sir Howard Morrison (Musical Director), New Zealand’s Got Talent (Musical Director). New Zealand Variety Show (Musical Director).

RACHAEL PENMAN

- CREATIVE PRODUCER

Trained as a dancer and also as a director in film and television, Rachael Penman has been a producer of theatre and dance for 27 years, working with many of NZ’s leading Dance and Theatre companies. Her career to date has seen her working in a multitude of different genres including, Rock n Roll, Motor Sports, TV, Film, Theatre, Festivals, International Outdoor Spectaculars and the education sector.

Rachael spent 5 years in London as a producer for West end Musical theatre and theatre with Bill Kenwright Ltd and her own theatre in the West End- The Villiers. She also advised for theatre companies around Europe and continues to do so.

Rachael worked for  Okareka Dance Company as General Manager and Producer for 7 years and brought a wealth of international theatre touring and business and audience development experience to the company.

Rachael has been involved with Old Rockers Inc since she saw the 2017 Tour of State Highway 48 and saw the international potential in the book. In additional Rachael also consults on Marketing and PR strategy’s and analysis in the arts and is currently the Marketing and Communications Manager for Tim Bray Theatre Company.

CLAIRE O’NEILL

- CHOREOGRAPHER

Claire is an international choreographer, performing artist, movement specialist and dance educator. She has created, collaborated and presented over 35 dance works and has won awards for her choreographies as well as several grants and scholarships to travel and study in the field of contemporary dance. Claire resided in Belgium for 10 years and worked with a broad array of dance companies and choreographers in Europe such as Hans Van Den Broeck, Michèle Noiret and Michèle Anne de Mey as well as New Zealand choreographers Michael Parmenter, Douglas Wright, Ross McCormack and Malia Johnston. She features in Sue Healy’s award winning dance documentary ‘Virtuosi’. Claire achieved her Masters in Dance with first class honours (University of Auckland) in 2016. Currently she is a dance lecturer at Unitec Performing and Screen Arts, a movement coach for corporate businesses and choreographic mentor for New Zealand Dance Company.

Claire has researched, experienced and integrated into her dancing many strands of thought from movement systems, social philosophy and somatic practices. She has led dance training and workshops throughout the world and draws from contemporary dance techniques, physical theatre, yoga, instant composition, improvisation and music amongst other movement related practices (Laban, Axis Syllabus, Feldenkrais, Body Weather, Action Theatre Improvisation, Body Mind Centering). Her credits include Ultima Vez/ Wim Vandekeybus, Need Company, Meg Stuart & Damaged Goods, The Paris Opera, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Company, Ballet Preljocaj, Cie, Philippe Découfflé, The New Zealand Dance Company, Red Leap Theatre Unitec Performing Arts, University of Auckland and Douglas Wright Dance Co.

Claire is currently based in Auckland and works as a freelance dance artist/mentor/ educator and choreographer. She is raising two young girls, Georgie and Iris, and is researching ‘social choreography’ - dance practices and performances that are intergenerational, socio-political and inclusive.

BEN M ROGERS

- PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Ben’s international portfolio of designs includes an eclectic range of projects from contemporary circus through to concerts, exhibitions, opera, dance and of course musical theatre.

Recent projects include the Middle East and Australia tours of The Illusionists - Direct from Broadway, Quincy Jones - A Life in Song at the O2 Arena Murphy’s Celtic Legacy - France and US Tour. He is currently completing the lighting and visual design for a major new entertainment facility entitled Wavehouse, at the landmark Atlantis The Palm hotel in Dubai.

In the UK he has designed national tours including 20th Century Boy, HAIR, Noise Ensemble, The Operababes, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Live, RENT 20th Anniversary and The Magnificent Musicals alongside special events including George Dalaras at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, DNA@60 at Hammersmith Apollo, West End Heroes at the Dominion, Twitter Star Live at the Lyric and Children of Eden at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

In Cyprus his design projects include Living Color Festival 2017 & 2018, The Stadium Opening Ceremony of the Small Nations Games, Live concerts from Hardwell, DJ Snake, Nicky Romero, Lord of the Dance, Eifmann Ballet, Jose Carreras, Armin Van Burren, Luciano Pavarotti, Kemlin Ballet, Moscow City Ballet, MTV “Live from Cyprus” and 10 years of West End musicals for the Larnaca International Festival including The Wizard of Oz, Cats, Oliver!, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Evita, Chicago, Grease and Fame.

International projects include Cirque Du Soleil’s ZED in Tokyo - for which he delivered the original lighting and video programming and original video content. Other productions include RED at Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi, Ninjago Live at Legoland Dubai, Duran Duran Live in Tokyo, Noise Ensemble (worldwide), Pam Ann (US National Tour), Las Vegas Fantasy (Taiwan), Red Hot Baroque (Russia, UK and USA). For Peter Schaufuss Ballet Company he designed new productions of The King, Nutcracker and Noddebo Prastegard.

Ben sat on the innovation awards panel for PLASA for 7 years, is a member of the International Live Music Conference and the Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) and a contributor to several trade publications for both production features and critical comment.

KATHERINE KUDO

- GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Kath is the passionate designer behind the State Highway 48 brand. She developed the original logo in 2016 when the show first hit the stage, and has created and overseen all brand elements of the show since.

Kath has a background in Graphic and Typographic Design. She completed her training at the renowned Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, the Netherlands. With 17 years of creative experience, Kath currently works as both a senior designer for KingSt Advertising and Marketing, and for her own design business, Kudo Design.

As a designer, she is a meticulous creative, able to combine various styles and methods, and beautifully translates the musical into effective visual information.

A melting pot of culture and creativity, Kath has a Latin, Japanese and European background, and is now a proud Kiwi too.

EMILY POYNTON

- ASSISTANT TO THE CREATIVE PRODUCER 

Emily is an actor and producer from the UK. She has performed on-stage and on-screen in student and professional productions. Credits include Alice Curiouser & Curiouser at the Gulbenkian Theatre, Kent (UK) (starring role Alice), a Midlands (UK) tour and Edinburgh Fringe run of The Hound of the Baskervilles, and Parade at The Marlowe Theatre, Kent. Emily's produced The Lost Boys of Neverland for a sell-out Edinburgh Fringe and Canterbury (UK) run. 

Emily moved to New Zealand in February 2019 and quickly began working as a marketing assistant for Tim Bray Theatre Company. She has subsequently joined Old Rockers and is very excited to be part of the team for State Highway 48.