Gobsmacked

31/12/2024

This year has been the busiest year yet and I have hardly even had time to post about what’s happened with Gobsmacked this year hence the reason I thought I’d do one big highlights video of 2024!

The BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS of 2024:
1. Directed ‘The Legacy’ for the North NZ 2024 Pathfinder Camporee with the Seuseu family performing the story of Abraham. The wowed everyone with their performance! I know this family is about to be NZ famous and then look out world! Co-written by Olepa Korenhof, Hannah Andrykanus and Anna Beadon! You guys so awesome! - JANUARY 2024
2. Was in the top 3 stories of the NZ Herald while directing the musical ‘The Tale of Dilbert Clancy’ in just ONE week. Shanshan approached me with her charity LovetheOne Trust and wanted to pair with the Chinese Morning Star charity. All money from the Gobsmacked holiday programme and tickets went towards bringing over a team of 15 Chinese students and teachers from China who wore prosthetic limbs. We invited them to perform in their very first musical! The Seuseu family were there to help me pull off this impossible feat and it became the first time I had ever attempted directing a Gobsmacked musical in a week! We made the newspaper and 3 members of parliament attended our final performance – Sam Uffindel, Tom Rutherford and Nancy Lu – JANUARY 2024
3. After winning ‘Hyve’ in Sydney 2023 (Sharktank-like competition) I was asked to come to America with all expenses paid for to talk about the impact of Gobsmacked Productions. I spoke at three different conferences across Orlando, Florida and Chattanooga, Tennessee. I have investors interested if I ever decide to franchise there in the future. This was one of scariest yet most exciting times of my life speaking so boldly about what I do in front of so many people! FEBRUARY 2024
4. I got to stay with my cousin for a week in her town Winston Salem, near Charlotte and lead her daughter’s school in their fundraising dance week which was so much fun! FEBRUARY 2024
5. I was lucky enough to get some quality time to work on perfecting our Gobsmacked songs with my music producer – Josiah Ruff who has produced 130 songs for Gobsmacked Productions to this date. I am blessed with the best! We had an amazing time in Huntsville, Alabama where him and his family live. MARCH 2024
6. I came back home through Phuket, Thailand where I got to meet up with old friends who I taught with when I was the Director of Performing Arts at the international school – Cairo English School – APRIL 2024
7. For the first time I got to direct a show in the brand newly renovated theatre ‘Howard Morrison Theatre’ in Rotorua directing ‘Tangaroa’s Tale’ with the Rotorua Primary School - MAY 2024
8. I was able to return to my home town and direct another musical in the ‘Regent Theatre’ where I grew up with Carncot school who performed ‘The Beetles’ – JUNE 2024
9. Directed ‘Trek to the Top’ with PNSDA and LAC combined at the Spiers Centre where I grew up performing in the all the Boys and Girls High musicals – JULY 2024
10. To mark my 50th Gobsmacked musical I was flown to Perth to direct ‘The Beetles’ with the original principal who hired me back when I lived in London to work in Egypt. This was such a special time in the most sensational theatre with the best lights I’ve ever worked with! – AUGUST 2024
11. After returning to NZ I found out that I was put in the final to speak in Orlando, Florida for the ‘Exponential’ – Sharktank-like competition, unfortunately because of a clash of my next musical I couldn’t fly over to America to take part. Maybe the timing will be right in years to come!
12. Directed ‘Poseidon’s Tale of the Deep Blue Sea’ with a new school to the Gobsmacked program – Mount Maunganui Primary School – SEPTEMBER 2024
13. Directed ‘The Rat Returns’ in Kunming China with the AMAZING Shanshan founder of LovetheOne Trust and the Seuseu family starring as the main actors and singers with the Chinese students learning all the dances to the musical! – OCTOBER 2024
14. Directed ‘Space Project’ with Omokoroa No1 School – NOVEMBER 2024
15. Directed ‘Robin in da Hood’ with Tauranga Primary School – DECEMBER 2024
16. Directed ‘The Rat Returns’ with 50 of my after school kids in Term 4 with students from Mount Maunganui Primary, Omokoroa No1 and TGA Primary – DECEMBER 2024
17. We finished the first draft of the feasibility phase to franchise Gobsmacked throughout NZ! – DECEMBER 2024
18. We drove to Christchurch to do auditions with the kids from Oaklands Primary School and Christchurch is going to be the first city for NZ we’re going to attempt to franchise! – DECEMBER 2024!

This year I directed 11 musicals making it a total of 55 musicals, taught in 4 countries and started the franchise process! I am exhausted but I know I just have to keep on going and not give up. I am so close to being ready to bring on a team so that Gobsmacked musicals can be performed throughout New Zealand and Australia!

Thank you to my wonderful Mum for her amazing support with not only upkeeping my 6000 costumes but always being there for me. I couldn’t do it without her. Thank you to Pete, my stepdad who has always been there to help me set up and pack up my shows, a true legend! Thank you to my boyfriend Nathan who came into my life early this year and has helped me with the franchise process as I’ve continued to work fulltime in the business. You are my gift from God, I know it! Finally thank you to Josiah Ruff (my music producer) and Melanie Schubert (my script writer) who make all this possible for me to carry out my dream job! I am surrounded by the best and I’m so thankful to be able to do what I do every day. It really doesn’t feel like work!

BRING ON 2025!!

Send a message to learn more

08/12/2024

27/10/2024

WE'RE PREPARING FOR A MUSICAL FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER AFTER SCHOOL!

For students aged 7 - 15 years old

Please choose from the following weekly classes:
Tuesday - 5:30 - 6:30 (TGASDA Church - 25 Moffatt Rd)
Thursday - 4:30 - 5:30 (Arataki Community Hall)
Thursday - 6 - 7pm (Mount Maunganui Primary Hall)

Every Thursday night from 6 - 7pm we're thrilled to have a talented vocal coach from Tauranga's latest musical showcased on the Baycourt stage - Les Misérables - Jess Sanders!

Get ready to shine in our next Gobsmacked musical that is open to everyone here in the Bay of Plenty, the performance will be held on Thursday, Dec 12! This free weekly class offers an incredible chance to join the stage or simply learn dances for fun.

Whether you're committed to performing and will need to commit every week or you just want to join for the experience!

Auditions will be held:
Tues, Oct 29 from 5:30 - 6:30pm at TGASDA Church
Thurs, Oct 31 from 4:30 - 5:30pm at the Arataki Community Hall
Thurs, Oct 31 from 5 - 6pm at the Mount Maunganui Primary Hall
Tues, Nov 5 from 5:30 - 6:30pm at TGASDA Church

Please email me at [email protected] for the audition script and to confirm your weekly spot and what audition you can attend.

Cost Information:
To keep this opportunity accessible, classes are free

Weekly Practice Video:
Practice the “Shackles Encore” dance with us each week! [Watch here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtASlGzjgE

Gobsmacked T-shirts & Jumpers
Gobsmacked t-shirts ($35) and jumpers ($45) are available for purchase each week. To buy, please transfer payment to Gobsmacked Productions Ltd and show your receipt, or bring cash.

Looking Forward to Seeing You!

Join us for this unforgettable Gobsmacked experience – we can’t wait to see you for auditions!

- Choreography by Patrice PatelShackles (Mary Mary), Stomp (Kirk Franklin) , Soldiers (Out of Eden), Go Get It (Mary Mary). Lights Shine Bright (Toby Mac)

27/08/2024

Proud of you Jess Sanders. Can’t wait to see you in action!!

16/08/2024

I’m at the airport about to leave Perth after directing my 50th musical at St Andrew’s Grammar with principal Craig Monaghan who hired me 12 years ago as the performing arts director in Egypt for the biggest theatre in international school - Cairo English School in the middle east at the time. That’s where my career started directing musicals. So special that Craig witnessed my first one in Egypt and this week, 12 years later, my 50th musical at his school in Perth. They absolutely brought their A-game to the stage last night and completely wowed the audience with their performance - ‘The Beetles’.
Absolutely loved coming to Perth for the first time and I can’t wait to come back in 2 years time!!

29/07/2024

Imagine performing as a Gobsmacked main character in another country and experiencing a whole new culture. This is about to become a reality in the October school holidays where we’re taking a group of students from New Zealand and Australia to China to perform a mini Gobsmacked musical with local Chinese students at an international school. You don’t want to miss this gobsmacking opportunity. All proceeds go towards 'Love the One' Charity.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScx0Oo66ziSPWyMQ9eWzwHg-71sGtNj8Z832QElVXY4ECW8sg/viewform?pli=1

23/07/2024

Trek to the Top performed by LAC and PNCAS

23/07/2024

At the end of last term Palmerston North SDA and Longburn Adventist College - Year 7 & 8 performed ‘Trek to the Top’ - the story of Edmund Hillary conquering Everest for the first time. In just 3 weeks they pulled together an incredible show. I am so proud of them. Their hard work well and truly paid off. Thank you to all their hard working teachers who made sure they knew all their lines and learnt their songs and held the fort backstage to make sure they were in the right place at the right time. Special mention to Karla (SDA principal) and Rachel (head of intermediate) as my key organisers and stage managers behind stage who worked so unbelievably hard to make sure the kids were all in the right place and of course the amazing Toni who did my PowerPoint and stayed up the top with me for all the shows and thanks to Nicole and her beautiful family for hosting me. It was such an amazing accomplishment by all and it’s amazing to witness how far each of our main characters and performers improved from the beginning until showtime!

10/06/2024

Tonight carncot is performing ‘The Beetles’ at the Regent Theatre’ in Palmerston North. They’ve been working so hard and it’s going to be awesome! Door sales are still available for the 6:30pm show! https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=BEETLES24

29/01/2024

Wow thank you for these amazing photos Suzanna. What an unforgettable experience it was to see Kate Liao and the children they brought over with them from China dancing and acting with their prosthetic limbs together with our awesome Gobsmacked kids from schools all over the Bay of Plenty. How amazing that we had Tom Rutherford and Sam Uffindel from parliament there to witness this miracle and on top of this the kids did a Gobsmacked musical in a week for the first time! What an incredible team we had to make this happen 🙏🏼

26/01/2024

This is what happened this week!! Shanshan Kong, the founder of LovetheOne charity approached me and asked if I could pull off a musical in ONE week after I directed her children in one of my Gobsmacked shows last year. I told her I’ve never done that before! I’ve only just managed to figure out how to pull musicals off in 3 weeks let alone a week!! But then she told me Kate Liao’s inspirational story and how she survived an earthquake in China and now dances on prosthetic legs and how her and her husband (prosthetic specialist) founded their charity ‘Morning Star’ where they fund disabled children to be fitted with prosthetic limbs in hope to give these children a next to normal life. She told me her vision to bring her and her husband, Charles and the children they’ve helped to experience a Gobsmacked musical and share her powerful testimony. After hearing her story I was brought to tears and moved deeply by her story. I told her I’ll do it! If Kate can overcome what she has, surely I can figure out a way to give her and these beautiful children the experience of a musical in just a week. So together with 70 children from schools across Tauranga and Rotorua from schools I’ve directed Gobsmacked musicals in we came together and performed ‘The Tale of Dilbert Clancy’ in just ONE week!! There wasn’t a dry eye. We all played our part in this miracle and the perfect team come together to make it happen! Thank you to the talented Seuseu family, Jess, Julia, Emma, Eden and Shawna who volunteered their time to help pull this unbelievable week off! The story made not just ‘The Bay of Plenty Times’ but the ‘NZ Herald’

Kate Liao was the only survivor in her building after 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake.

20/01/2024

What an amazing week it has been and a privilege it was to be asked to direct and produce the Pathfinder North New Zealand Camporee musical for 2024. I had an amazing team who stepped forward to say they’d love to help write the musical about Abraham’s story. A big thank you to Hannah Andrykanus who wrote the first half of the musical and Olepa Korenhof who helped me finish it and perfect it and Anna Beaden who wrote the comical Angel parts and of course Josiah Ruff and Noah Seuseu who produced the music for the songs for this musical ‘Legacy’. Together God created a masterpiece with the amazingly talented Seuseu family bringing it alive on stage with their singing, dancing and acting! In two weeks they learnt to dance and act to support the angelic voices that God has already blessed them with as a family.

31/12/2023

And...... just like that, it’s a wrap for 2023! With the backlog of schools because of Covid I had to figure out a way to direct musicals that have usually taken me 4 1/2 weeks in the past to teach. I returned back to my drawing board and changed my format so that I could pull off musicals in just 3 weeks (15 literal days) to fit the 8 schools that were booked in. This new magical formula has proven to be even more effective and has got even better results out of kids and cleaner shows from start to finish. So this year I had the privilege to teach 3500 kids across the Bay of Plenty to over 10,000 people who came to sit in our audiences to watch our original Gobsmacked musicals. I lead and directed 2 Gobsmacked Holiday Programs with over 250 kids involved, I fit in a trip to America, even a trip to Sydney - Australia where I won a Shark like competition called ‘Hyve’ that’s for small businesses that are making a difference and impact in their community. I made it to TV for the first time on Hope Channel where I got to share some of my Gobsmacked journey. It has been the most rewarding year of my life this far but certainly the busiest year I’ve ever lived. What should have broken me as I reflect, only made me stronger, more resilient as I have pushed through one of the hardest and toughest years of my life that has taken me beyond limits I didn’t even know were possible. All I can say is it’s a true miracle I made it through but it has taught me what’s actually possible when it has to be possible 🙏🏼 I celebrated directing 40 musicals with Bethlehem College Primary this year. It’s hard to believe that since 2012 I have now directed 43 musicals. Bring on 2024 and the exciting opportunities that are in the pipeline!

And...... just like that, it’s a wrap for 2023! With the backlog of schools because of Covid I had to figure out a way to direct musicals that have usually t...