We recently connected with Mike Daley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

When I moved from the US to New Zealand just over 10 years ago, it had been a long time since I had last been on stage. I had put the theatre behind me, initially focusing on a career in television and film, and then eventually leaving the entertainment industry all together. But shortly after arriving in Auckland, I found myself experiencing that creative itch once again. I missed acting and the energy that comes with live performance. So I started looking around for some audition opportunities and stumbled onto The Dolphin Theatre in Onehunga. I got cast in an original production and quickly fell in love with the place. The people, the ambiance, and the artistry on stage absolutely won me over and I could tell that this was a special place where I could make a meaningful contribution. I performed in a number of shows that year, and then when my wife became pregnant with our daughter, I knew that I would need to find another way to stay involved at The Dolphin if I wanted to maintain that connection. So I joined the management committee and took a lead role in the play selection process. I later stepped into the role of Vice President and then eventually President of the theatre, and while it may be harder to continue more creative pursuits on the stage, I’ve come to really cherish my administrative work to help ensure that the theatre not only survives, but thrives. During my time as President, The Dolphin has massively grown its audience, revamped its branding, expanded its programming, and garnered numerous awards from local theatre organizations. More importantly, we’ve continued to attract new actors, directors, and volunteers to build the Dolphin community and establish a welcoming space where people can forge connections and further develop their craft. Leading the team at The Dolphin has proven to be one of the most significant and satisfying creative endeavors of my life.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I fell in love with the arts at an early age, mostly when I realized the limitations of my athletic prowess. I attended Milton Academy, where I was involved with the theatre and the A/V Club, and was captain of the Speech Team, all of which helped to cement my focus on theatre and film. I received a B.A. in Theatre Studies from Emerson College before moving to Los Angeles to seek my fortune. Unfortunately a SAG/WGA strike combined with the 2008 global financial crisis put a dent in my plans, and I moved back east with my fiancee while she attended graduate school. I spend the next five years working in IT around the financial industry, and while I liked my coworkers and certain aspects of my job, I came to realize that I was struggling to maintain focus in a business where I had no big-picture interest. So my wife and I decided it was time to move overseas to a city where I could return to the world of entertainment. We eventually settled on Auckland, New Zealand, where I was fortunate enough to find steady work in television and film production, getting to work on everything from local series and indie films to blockbuster movies like Predator: Badlands and A Minecraft Movie, I work largely with cast, helping to organize their schedules and their daily needs throughout production, though I’ve also worked extensively in the nitty-gritty logistical side of production, particularly in areas like facilities, freight, and travel/accommodation. Most importantly, I’ve managed to find the time and space to pursue my own creative endeavors in my free time. I became deeply entrenched in the local theatre community and often act and direct in productions while also serving as President of The Dolphin. Whether it’s in my day-job in production or my nights spend at the theatre, I believe that one of my core strengths is my communication skills, specifically my ability to bridge the gap between creative needs and logistical requirements. It’s crucial to my role working with high-profile cast as well as my time spent acting and directing. I can keep a mental foothold in both worlds and ensure that the needs of each side are being met. It’s a creatively challenging puzzle that I often enjoy solving.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It’s not a novel or particularly exciting answer, but the most impactful way to support the creative ecosystem is better funding. As someone involved in leading a creative organization, I can tell you that we really feel the effects when local and federal governments (like those currently in power) do not prioritize public funding for the arts, particularly in the midst of a cost of living crisis fueled by various armed conflicts around the globe. While I appreciate that public funding for the arts in New Zealand is a huge improvement over the funding landscape in the United States, it becomes clearer with each passing month that there are more and more organizations applying to get a slice of an ever-shrinking pie. So often we see governments trying to pass the buck to the private sector, (just look at space exploration) but that is exactly the wrong approach for the arts. The primary focus of the arts should always be creative fulfillment and emotional resonance, not churning out a product for profit. Profit should be a by-product of a creatively successful project, not the chief focus, and the only way to maintain that hierarchy is through robust public funding that is only interested in art for art’s sake.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

While I love the act of performing and all of the creative opportunities it affords me personally, what I have found to be most rewarding is creating those same opportunities for others. Part of why I enjoy working on the play selection team is the chance to envision how other people at the theatre will be able to bring a show to life, whether it’s the director, the actors, or the design team. At The Dolphin we’ve focused strongly on creating a season structure which allows us to take some calculated risks while pursuing material that we find creatively worthwhile even if we don’t expect it to be a major box office success. We’ve made it a point to priortize the ability to push artistic boundaries and attract exciting new talent to the theatre, including the creation of a new Studio programme specifically to create space for art that challenges both artists and audiences in a way that many of our fellow theatres tend not to do. This effort is hugely important to me and nothing makes me happier than when our creative teams share their gratitude and appreciation for giving them a unique opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dolphintheatre.org.nz/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daleyscreening
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikedaley01
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/TheDolphinTheatre
  https://www.instagram.com/DolphinTheatre

Image Credits

All photos by LK Creative