Trace Tidd
As a child Trace discovered her love for performing right here in Whakatāne - and she has never been far from the stage since!
After appearances in numerous school shows and Whakatane Operatic Society musicals Trace needed no more convincing of her love for performing, and so headed off to study Performing Arts full time at Wellington Performing Arts Centre (now Whitirea), followed by additional studies at Excel School of Performing Arts. Three years of full time study and a 12 month nationwide tour later, and Trace had gained tertiary qualifications in 'Musical Theatre' (WPAC/Whitireia), 'Acting for Stage, Screen and Television' (WPAC/Whitireia), and 'Performance Contemporary Vocals' (Excel).
Trace has performed in countless musicals and concerts throughout New Zealand and in Melbourne, Australia.
After seeing the world, Trace returned to Whakatane in 2010 and started teaching Singing Lessons and Musical Theatre Classes. In 2014 she quit her 'real job' and founded Stage Door Performing Arts Academy.
Local audiences may remember seeing Trace perform as part of the touring group Operatunity, or on the Whakatāne stage as the outcast cat ‘Grizabella’ in Theatre Whakatane’s 2011 production of Cats, or the title role of Theatre Whakatane’s 2016 production of Evita - for which she was awarded the Musical Theatre New Zealand Zony Award for ‘Best Leading Lady’. These days though Trace is more likely to be found in the directors seat. In 2017 she directed Theatre Whakatane’s season of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ to great acclaim, followed by a number of award winning youth productions for the Stage Door Productions Charitable Trust including: The Little Mermaid Jnr (2018); Annie Jnr (2021); Aladdin Jnr (2023); and most recently - Little Women - The Musical (2024).
As well as heading up the team at Stage Door, Trace is a regular tutor at the annual National Youth Drama School (NYDS), runs a private Singing Teaching studio, and works professionally as a Performer, Musical Theatre Vocal Director and Performance Coach. Trace is also a Board Member for the National Youth Drama School, sits as the Chair on the Stage Door Productions Charitable Trust Board, and is mum to two creative young women.
Trace is a firm believer in the many and varied benefits of performing arts education and experiences.
"I absolutely love seeing people of all ages having fun, connecting with kindred spirits and growing in confidence and self-belief via the performing arts!"
