Actor, director, teacher and voice artist Jonathon Hendry has been appointed Head of Acting at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School."We are joyously welcoming Jonty back into Toi Whakaari as our new Head of Acting," said Annie Ruth, Director of Toi Whakaari.

Actor, director, teacher and voice artist Jonathon Hendry has been appointed Head of Acting at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School."We are joyously welcoming Jonty back into Toi Whakaari as our new Head of Acting," said Annie Ruth, Director of Toi Whakaari. "Jonathon fought off candidates from around the world for the role by being head and shoulders above all the other applicants. Not only is he one of NZ's most experienced stage actors and directors, with considerable exposure in the film industry, but his management and governance experience is a rare gift in this industry."

"When I trained under George Webby and Grant Tilly we had two small classrooms for actors housed above a motor bike shop. Despite the noise it was a wonderful experience," said Hendry. "I now join a school where courses for actors, designers, directors, technicians, costumers and managers are provided in world-class facilities. At a time of terrific innovation in the performing arts it's a privilege to work with our emerging talent and it's my firm belief that they are raising the bar. I look forward to helping them, as well as contributing to Toi's growing reputation both here and internationally."

Jonathon has directed at Auckland Theatre Company, Silo, Downstage, Circa, Centrepoint, and BATS. He is a graduate of Toi Whakaari (1987-88) and his well known accomplishments include acting roles varying from playing Richard III in an International Arts Festival production, Vladimir Lenin, Oscar Wilde, and Richard Prebble in the TV series Fallout. He had a lead role in horror film The Irrefutable Truth about Demons and is a consistently employed voice artist.

His specialty is Shakespeare, and in 2003 he was an Artistic Resident at the Globe Theatre London. The teaching experience Jonathon brings to the role of Head of Acting is enormous. He was recently Head of Acting at UNITEC and has taught at Massey University, Victoria University, Wellington Conservatorium of Music, New Zealand College of Performing Arts and Wellington Performing Arts Centre as well as running various acting and Shakespeare workshops. Jonathon also brings considerable arts governance and consultancy experience to the table. 19/6/07