Help Get Lily to the Western Front

Kia ora! My name is Lily Stott, and I’m a young actor, performer and theatre lover based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch. I’m proud to be selected as part of a small company performing in the World Children's & Youth Performing Arts Festival in Antwerp, Belgium in August 2026. We’ll be performing a New Zealand devised piece called The Ground Remembers Us, centred around New Zealand World War I history.

This is an amazing opportunity to perform internationally, as well as explore the places where this significant piece of our country's history took place. The trip costs are around $5,000 per person, and along with local fundraising and grant applications, I would really appreciate any support towards helping with this funding goal!

I am 18 years old, and taking a gap year to explore the world and develop my skills as an actor. I love engaging in storytelling whether it’s through song, dance, drama, art, or creative writing. I’m interested in a wide range of performance styles, from musical theatre to Shakespeare, modern plays to classics. This production is my first delve into physical theatre, and I’m learning a huge amount from rehearsals. 

I have had so many opportunities to perform growing up that have helped me get to where I am today. A shout out to my drama teachers at Christchurch Girls High School for their continuous support and wisdom throughout high school, and all my musical theatre teachers at Impact/TDA for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone. I am also endlessly grateful to Harry Lawrence and the other tutors at Canterbury Youth Theatre for their believing in me, giving me amazing performance opportunities, and passing on your theatre knowledge.

This trip will take place over 3 weeks in August 2026. I am fundraising to cover my individual costs of:

• Travel
• Accommodation
• Food
• Daily living expenses

All donations raised here will be put towards the total needed cost of $5000 for the trip.

We are performing at Louder Together’s World Children's & Youth Performing Arts Festival in Antwerp, Belgium from the 21st-30th of August 2026. The project is run by Experimental Theatre Company and directed by Blaise Barham. Travelling with me is a small company of other young performers also fundraising for their independent costs. Our group will be performing a piece titled The Ground Remembers Us, a devised physical theatre piece about the experiences of New Zealand soldiers in World War One. We will also be attending workshops with other young performers from around the world. 

We will also be travelling to Ypres, a significant site in New Zealand history, to perform at the Flanders Fields museum. It is an absolute honor to represent Aotearoa through theatre to an international audience and travel to sites so important to my country's history.

This trip represents a significant step in my personal and artistic development. The opportunity to perform internationally is a huge privilege and offers me huge exposure to theatre practices and training not available in Aotearoa. I hope to use skills gained to further my personal artistic practice and pass on knowledge to others around me.