Miss Sunny Amey To Conduct Drama Schools

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30602, 19 November 1964, Page 22

Miss Sunny Amey To Conduct Drama Schools

Miss Sunny Amey, a New Zealand drama bursar now in London, will return to New Zealand for five months next year to conduct several drama schools.

She is at present one of three assistant directors at the National Theatre under Sir Laurence Olivier. At the annual meeting of the Christchurch and North Canterbury Area of the British Drama League, New Zealand, the president (Mr H. Bell) reported that the schools would be conducted in a striking new manner. Miss Amey, he said, would select a cast and produce a play, with the drama students in constant observation of every step involved in presenting the production. Miss Amey was head prefect of Wellington East

Girls’ College in 1945 and trained at Wellington Teachers’ College, taking a third year in speech therapy at Christchurch Teachers’ College. After working as a speech therapist in Palmerston North for two years she spent four years in Great Britain teaching and developing an interest and understanding of Child Drama. In 1955 she returned to New Zealand to become assistant lecturer in English, mainly speech and drama, at the Wellington Teachers’ College where her productions with students included “The Male Animal,” “Six Characters in Search of an Author” and an arena production for children of “Pinocchio.” During this period she acted for Unity Theatre and produced “A View from the Bridge.” In 1959 she returned to Britain to take up a Government bursary to further her experience in play production and drama in education. After spending 18 months with the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre, working in all departments, and eight months at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury as assistant director producing several plays, she did free-lance directing in repertory for some months. In 1962 she became production assistant to Sir Laurence Olivier for the first season at the Chichester Festival Theatre for the second season in 1963. This was followed by her appointment as one of three assistant Directors at the National Theatre.