Jackie James
Jackie James brings a wealth of experience, passion, and heart to The Performers’ Workshop. With a lifelong love for education and the arts, Jackie has spent over 20 years as a teacher and arts educator, inspiring creativity in learners of all ages.
Raised in a musical family and educated at St Cuthbert’s College, Jackie’s journey naturally led her to combine her two greatest passions. For the past 11 years, she founded and ran Rātā Studios, based at Scots College in Wellington, building it into a vibrant centre for performing arts education.
Now, Jackie brings her vision, leadership, and deep commitment to nurturing talent to The Performers’ Workshop – creating a space where people can learn, grow, and connect through the magic of Acting, Film, Music, and Dance.
Expert Instructors
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Elena Stejko
Acting Instructor
Award-winning, Ukrainian-born actor, teacher, and director with 33 years of international experience, has left an indelible mark on the industry. Her extensive career spans various roles, including casting director for over a decade in New Zealand, where she’s worked on local and international dramas, TV series, and commercials. As a director, she has lent her talents to productions in Ukraine, Brazil, and New Zealand. Elena’s influence extends to her role as a contractor and teacher of the M. Chekhov acting technique at esteemed institutions like Toi Whakaari, Unitec Performing Arts, TAP, and South Seas School of Film and TV. Notably, she has directed annual productions with graduating students at Unitec since 2011, guiding them through acclaimed performances in classics such as “Three Sisters,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “The Merchant of Venice.”
Elena’s acting credits include leading and supporting roles in productions like “Sweet Tooth” and “What We Do in the Shadows,” earning her nominations and awards for her performances. On stage, she has showcased her talent in productions like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Midnight in Moscow,” receiving accolades such as the Chapman Trip Award for Best Actress for her role in Roger Hall’s “Shortcut to Happiness.”
Megan Adams
Dance Instructor
Megan is a choreographer, movement director, rehearsal director intimacy director/coordinator and teacher with 30 years of experience in the performing arts/screen industry and brings her extensive and intricate knowledge of movement, dance and the body to all aspects of her work.
Megan trained in contemporary dance and ballet at The New Zealand School of Dance. She has worked with the most prestigious and esteemed choreographers and dance companies of New Zealand, is the choreographic executor of the Douglas Wright Estate and restages his preeminent choreographic works both in New Zealand and internationally.
Megan works as a movement director/coach, assistant theatre director and intimacy director/coordinator in theatre, ballet, opera, circus, film and TV. She has worked with NZ Opera, Auckland Theatre Company, Taki Rua, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, The Dust Palace and The Pop Up Globe. Recent Intimacy/movement screen credits include East of Eden (Netflix), M3GAN 2, Chief of War (TV Series) and Nude Tuesday.
Megan is a passionate and transformational educator, She has taught movement and dance classes in professional companies, tertiary institutions, schools and on community programmes for over 20 years. Megan regularly works with children and teenagers and has taught movement on the RATA screen acting teen intensive since 2021 with Miranda Harcourt.
Megan holds a currents certificates in First Aid, Mental Health First Aid and Safe Guarding Children. Megan is a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.
Jenny B
Hayden Tee
Hayden is a world renown musical theatre performer and has played lead roles on the West End and Broadway. He is a Maori (Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Tūwharetoa) New Zealander and trained at NIDA- Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Arts.
His most notable roles were Javert (Broadway, West End, Dubai, Australia, USA, 2014-2022) and Marius (West End, 2005-2006), from Les Miserables.
Lance in & Juliet (Broadway, Australia, Singapore, 2023-2025), Miss Trunchbull in Matilda (West End, Manila, 2017-2020) and numerous roles in numerous musicals around the world.
He was Director of the Australian professional premier of Jekyll and Hyde (Hayes Theatre, 2022) and Next to Normal (Court Theatre, Christchurch 2023).
Hayden has 3 solo albums all available online and is the co-founder of RUB cosmetics an environmentally conscious customizable cosmetics brand inspired by global indigenous ingredients rubcosmetics.com @haydentee @rub.cosmetics
Alexander Holloway
Kacie Stetson
Tim Carlsen
