UCOL BLOG

UCOL Performing Arts Lecturer Jaime Dorner has a hunger for all things theatre and freely admits he can’t stop himself.

Jaime not only teaches the Certificate in Performing Arts programme at UCOL, he has his own theatre company and has just been appointed as the next Resident Artist under Palmerston North’s Visiting Artist Scheme.

“I need to continually create and explore theatre,” he says. “I have to keep my career as an artist alive.”

The Visiting Artist Scheme is a collaborative venture between the School of English & Media Studies at Massey University, in conjunction with Palmerston North City Council and Community Arts Palmerston North.

Three residencies of three months each are offered each year in Creative Writing, Film or Digital Arts and Theatre. The position includes accommodation at a central city apartment in the Square Edge building.

Jaime’s Visiting Artist appointment begins in November and fits perfectly into the hiatus of the UCOL academic year.

“The scheme is great for me and my employer,” says Jaime. “UCOL encourages its staff to keep in touch with our industries. This is the best kind of professional development.”
Read More: “Creative appetite”…

The parts he wants are currently played by Robert Downey Jr and Johnny Depp. But after 30 minutes in Cole’s company, you’re confident they’ll be his in ten years’ time. Cole, aged 17, has just been named Emerging Artist of the Year in the Student City Arts and Cultural Awards. He was nominated by his lecturer on the UCOL Performing Arts Programme, Jaime Dorner.

“He’s brilliantly talented,” says Jaime. “But almost equally important, he’s determined to get to the top as an actor. He has a career plan and he sets out to find opportunities to further his acting, beyond what we ask him to do on the programme. You need that sort of drive, as well as talent, to succeed as an actor.”

Cole can act, sing, dance, read poetry. He has used all of those skills recently in local productions, including the lead role in Moscow Ticket, and appearances in Slice of Saturday Night and Papa e rangi. He will appear in an upcoming production of Chess in Palmerston North.

He says he wants to use every opportunity to gain experience and improve his skills. That includes repeating UCOL’s six month Performing Arts programme, doing it twice this year “as a chance to get an even better grasp of the essentials.”
After he completes his UCOL study he intends to look for work as an actor in Auckland or Wellington before applying to attend Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Drama School, when he turns 18. He also wants to study acting for film.

In the longer term, he is fixed on a single goal: To be a great film actor.
Cole was born and raised in Feilding and attended Feilding High. He says he has wanted to be an actor since he was seven years old. He was named Emerging Artist of the Year at the Student City Cultural Awards event held at the Globe Theatre on 10 October.

I just went and checked out the rehearsals for the show the performing arts students are putting on in just a few weeks. The camera I used isn’t the best so the photos are all pretty poor quality (there are some good shots though). The students will be performing scenes from Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard on December 2nd, 3rd and 4th at 7.30pm in block 5 (the Buckman building) in Palmerston North and the tickets are only $5 at the door.

I have to say what I saw looked pretty good, I will be there to watch the rest on their opening night thats for sure. If you want to see some more snapshots click HERE and ignore some of the spots on the camera, I think there was dust on the lens or something.. either that or some ghosts hanging out in block 5? who knows, I got sick of photoshoping them all out so there are a few in some of the shots. Anyway, make sure you check out the show because it does look like its going to be pretty good!