Lara Liew (née Chisholm) was Head Girl at St Hilda's in 1999.
Lara is an Auckland based maker with a background in Acting and Dance. She is a graduate of UNITEC School of Performing and Screen Arts (Acting major) and completed a post-grad certificate in Acting Shakespeare from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (London). She currently works as a freelance creative - with contracts including acting, dance, teaching, performance design and installation, costuming, theatre direction, movement direction, choreography for theatre and TV as well as event entertainment and project management.
Lara is the co-founder of comedy dance company, Dynamotion, known for their outlandish and high-energy dance/theatre shows. She is the choreographer for contemporary water ballerinas, The Wet Hot Beauties, winning the People’s Choice award at the Auckland Fringe Festival 2013. Lara has fulfilled Movement Direction roles for Auckland Theatre Company, Silo Theatre Company and Fractious Tash. Her choreography credits for TV include Shortland Street, Power Rangers, Westside 2 and Shanara. Her screen acting credits include Shortland Street, Power Rangers, Jono and Ben, Funny Girls and Westside 2. Lara’s solo theatre show, This Is My Real Job, received nominations for most original show and most outstanding performer from the Dunedin Fringe Festival 2014. She will fulfil two dance contracts this year with NZ Choreographer, MaryJane O'Reilly, as well as premiering her own new independent dance theatre work, 'Death. Disco. Heartbeat', for Tempo Dance Festival. She has gained critical acclaim as both performer and choreographer from NZ Herald, Pantograph Punch, Metro Magazine, Theatreview, Theatre Scenes and Danz.