The Importance of Recognition

Everyone's a winner when communities come together in the spirit of support and recognition. The talents of young people, the creators of the future, were recently celebrated at the annual Showdown Secondary Schools Production Awards.

Young people dressed up 'academy awards style'; bright-eyed and glowing from the experience of belonging to this night.

Well known, super-talented celebrities Tina Cross and Jennifer Ward Lealand gave their time to present the awards, generous in their good will and belief in supporting the future. They added glamour and style as excellent role models.

The atmosphere ignited the spirit in one and all.

The verbal vibrance of the crowd, the cheering, the laughter; all contributed to a unified atmosphere of camaraderie and healthy competition.

The hard work that the people behind the scenes put into making this night happen must be recognised. They are the true super stars of the evening.

The recruitment of judges to attend 32 productions across 28 secondary schools, the planning and the logistics all involves hard work and lots of time. The sort of person who puts their hand up to do such work is already short on time and recompense is in the form of knowing they've contributed to growing the talent of the future.

Sky City Theatre is a glamorous venue in the heart of Auckland, a city with a population of 1.4million. It is no easy feat collaborating with all the schools and even getting the committee together to meet and organise this fabulous event.

Bravo to Claire Buckley, her committee and iTicket for their sponsorship. The future of performing arts is being nurtured because of fabulous people like you.