Caryl is a Filipina lesbian musical theatre performer and emerging theatre director and writer based in Wellington, New Zealand.Since her surprise first performance at the age of three during a screening of Pocahontas, Caryl has performed in musicals onstage at Walt Disney World, at the TSB Bank Festival of Lights in New Plymouth, along the Kapiti coast, and in her home of Wellington. She has also sung at local community and cultural events including CubaDupa, Spring Into Tawa, and Japan Festival Wellington, as well as fan conventions in Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Whangārei, and Wellington. Caryl enjoys both devising shows and acting in scripted plays.Off-stage, Caryl has directed solo shows in Auckland and Wellington, and is developing her first two scripts following live readings in Proudly Asian Theatre's Fresh Off the Page program.Caryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Film, and Second Language Education from Victoria University of Wellington and has attended the Christchurch International Musical Theatre Summer School and the New Zealand Singing School. She is classically trained as a mezzo soprano specialising in musical theatre, pop/rock, and rap, and also has dance training in a number of styles.Caryl is a proud member of Equity New Zealand and E tū Musicians' Union.

credits

Before 2022, Caryl was credited as Caryl Illana.
* originated role

Musical theatre

YearShowRoleDirectorCompany
2024MiscastperformerLauren Ford-JonesMana Little Theatre
2023Disney's The Little MermaidMersister - AtinaLinda BuckleyCoasters Musical Theatre
2019Between the LinesSleeping BeautyAlexander GarsideDrama Christi
2017DinoRock: A Musical for Kids at TSB Bank Festival of LightsSnarlAaron BlackledgeKapitall Kids' Theatre
2016DinoRock: A Musical for KidsSnarl *Aaron BlackledgeKapitall Kids' Theatre
2015The Sword in the StoneMerlin *Aaron BlackledgeKapitall Kids' Theatre
2014The Marvellous Adventure of Jack and DaisyDaisy *Aaron BlackledgeKapitall Kids' Theatre
2010Alpha Male the MusicalJill understudy, waitress *Daniel KaplanS.T.A.G.E.

theatre

YearShowRoleDirectorCompany
2021A Study of Bad Accents development season in New Zealand Fringe FestivalGabriel, Sarah, ReskiNatania McLeod Roberts and Saffron QuinnSouth Road Directing
2019The Big Blue Planet Earth ShowLiana, Lt. Kim Scott, BonitaChris FisherDrama Christi
2018Potted Austen: Sense and SensibilityMarianne Dashwood, Lucy SteeleAlexander GarsideDrama Christi
2018Potted Austen: Pride and PrejudiceLydia Bennet, Charlotte Lucas, Caroline BingleyAlexander GarsideDrama Christi
2010A Midsummer Night's DreamPebbleKen AndersS.T.A.G.E.

devised theatre and sketch comedy

YearShowDirectorCompany
2022You'd Look So Pretty If in 6 Degrees FestivalRosie GloverStain Your Brain Productions
2020Cheap and Perfect Does Another One in New Zealand Fringe FestivalJoanna Divett, Pája Neuhöferová, Susan WilliamsCheap and Perfect
2018Sticky Fingers in New Zealand Fringe FestivalEunji ParkPalette Theatre

film

YearFilmRoleDirectorCompany
2021What to Do About Edgar (video)Cara (lead)Amadea TannerEavesdropping Films

Solo and featured singing

YearEventPerformance
2024DAT's All, Folks! in Disabled Artists' Theatre Festival'Cause We're Beautiful
2024DAT Sexy Thing! in Disabled Artists' Theatre FestivalMy Body's Talkin'
2024GGWP - Great Games With PalsThe Picture of Morally Grey
2024Japan Festival WellingtonTop of the J-Pops (videos)
2024Sandbox Fandom FestivalBrown Mouse Club (videos)
2024Philippine Festival WellingtonApōneke (videos)
2024Overload NZ Anime and Manga ConventionNothing But Light (videos)
2024CubaDupaMāorioke (video)
2023Spring Into Tawachildren's entertainment
2023PAX AustraliaVideo Dames (videos)
2023Sandbox Fandom FestivalCape and Cowl (videos)
2023Overload NZ Anime and Manga ConventionCaryl & Tuesday (videos)
2023Good Queer Goods Marketmarket entertainment (video)
2023GGWP - Great Games With PalsSeason of the Diva (videos)
2022Pasko sa Wellingtonpop and Disney covers (video)
2022Kōwhai Fan Fest with Wild Cute CosplayPerfect Harmony: Tell Your Friends (videos)
2022Spring Into TawaPrincess Pop Party
2022Overload NZ Anime and Manga ConventionGoing Digital (videos)
2022StarJam 20th birthday disco"Wings" by Little Mix
2022Japan Festival WellingtonShibuya Scramble (videos)
2022Philippine Festival"Raise Your Flag" by KZ Tandingan
2022GGWP - Great Games With Pals streamLife is Acoustic (video)
2021Philippine FestivalFilipino diaspora covers (videos)
2021Overload NZ Anime and Manga ConventionThe Power Inside (videos)
2021Kōwhai Fan Fest as part of the Saltpranos, with Abel KeysSuitcase Songs (videos)
2020Vegan Vaultmarket entertainment
2020GGWP - Great Games With Pals4K Cabaret (videos)
2019Cosplay Stage Festival"Speechless" from Aladdin 2019 (video)
2018Fluster Cluck; A Chaotic Curation of Cabaret and other such entertainments in New Zealand Fringe FestivalThe Mezzo Mixtape EP (video)

Choir performances

YearEventGroupDirectorPart
2024FilCoro Presents MOSAICFilCoroBeck TiongsonAlto II, solo "One Perfect Moment"
2024Beat the Winter BluesFilCoro / FilCoro and Summerset Singers combined choirsBecka TiongsonAlto II
2024Philippine Festival WellingtonFilCoroBecka Tiongsonsolo in "Magnificat II", Soprano II
2023The A Cappella AcademyFilCoro / Academy EnsembleBecka Tiongson / Tim Wayne-WrightAlto II
2023Christmas Carols with FilCoroFilCoroBecka TiongsonAlto II
2023Songs of HopeFilCoroBecka TiongsonAlto II; solo lines in "You Will Be Found" (video) and "Joyful, Joyful"
2023"Bayanihan: Making Petone Home" closing at Petone Settlers MuseumFilCoroBecka TiongsonAlto II and Soprano II
2022Nostalgia: Songs From the PastFilCoroElian PagalilawanAlto II; solo line in "Joyful, Joyful"
2022Nostalgia: Songs From the HeartFilCoroElian Pagililawan and Becka TiongsonSoprano II
2022"Bayanihan: Making Petone Home" opening at Petone Settlers MuseumFilCoroElian PagililawanSoprano II
2021UpliftedFilCoroElian Pagalilawan and Morgan KingAlto II; solo lines in "Joyful, Joyful" (video)

Dance

YearEventPerformanceChoreographerCompany
2019New Zealand men's vs. Barbarians handball exhibition matchdisco jazz opening entertainmentLorna BorrettSpiritus Dance Company

Online

YearShowRoleDirectorCompany
2023Ambitious Cutlery in PANZ members' play readingsSpoonellan/aPlaywrights Association of New Zealand
2023The Tarantula's Pet Frog in PANZ members' play readingsBarbn/aPlaywrights Association of New Zealand
2020Sara in rEMOTION Online Play Festival (video)AlexDaniel MooreScawwy Howwow Theatre
2020After Death in rEMOTION Online Play Festival (video)JackieSharon ParkScawwy Howwow Theatre
2020Head Space staged reading in rEMOTION Online Play Festival (video)Faith BoltonJohn Primavera, Irinola MėgrėłishviłiScawwy Howwow Theatre
2020Strawberry Milk staged reading in Couch Readings (video)MelRyan ThornhillThornhill Theatre Space

staged readings

YearShowRoleDirectorCompany
2022The Goodbridge MillionWill VicksAlexander GarsideDrama Christi
2016The Roaring GirlMoll CutpurseAnia UpstillThe Lord Lackbeards
2016The Queen, or the Excellency of Her SexAlmada, groomMatt PowellThe Lord Lackbeards

training

  • Christchurch International Musical Theatre Summer School: James Madison in Hamilton's "The Room Where it Happens" music dir. Loclan Mackenzie-Spencer and chor. Leslie Garcia Bowman. Florinda in Into the Woods' "Prologue: Into the Woods" dir. Peter Flynn and music dir. Geoffrey Castles. Ensemble in Edwin Drood's "There You Are" chor. Leslie Bell. Vocal masterclass with Geoffrey Castles. Dance classes with Leslie Bell and Michael Ralph.

  • New Zealand Singing School musical theatre stream: Masterclasses with Irene Bartlett, Pat Wilson, Nick Hollamby, Laine Loxlea-Danaan, and Jane Keller. Music dir. Mark Dorrell and Karen Grylls. Group and ensemble performances dir. Sara Brodie.

  • Nine years private vocal tuition with Megan Corby at the VoxBox

  • Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Film, and Second Language Education from Victoria University of Wellington. 300 level shows dir. David O'Donnell, Rachel Lenart, and Kerryn Palmer.

dance

  • Intermediate tap: Spiritus Dance Company (formerly LL Dance)

  • Three years jazz: Spiritus Dance Company, Jennifer Evans Dance Academy

  • Five years ballet: Spiritus Dance Company, various

  • One year hiphop: Jennifer Evans Dance Academy

  • One year Latin and ballroom: The Studio

instruments

  • Trinity College Grade 3 piano

  • Basic guitar

  • Basic orchestral percussion

skills

  • Cartwheels

  • Rollerblading

  • Mute fur-suited mascot characters

  • Kapa haka

  • Swimming

Workshops

  • Lighting Design webinar with Nathan McKendry

  • The A Cappella Academy choral workshop with Tim Wayne-Wright

  • ScreenFit classes: one directed by Esera Tanoai, with Catherine Fitzgerald as guest instructor; one directed by Cathasaigh Ó Fiannachta, with Tusi Tamasese as guest instructor

  • Unlocking the Script workshop with Benjamin Henson

  • Creating and Rehearsing Online workshop with Sam Scott

  • Wowks in Pwogwess script workshop with Scawwy Howwow Theatre

  • Best Practice for Staging Intimacy with Miriama McDowell and Carrie Thiel in the BATS Annual Summit

  • Make Soup from a Stone: Devising with Paula Van Beek at the Annual BATS Summit

  • Performing the World: Community theatre with Nicola Pauling at the Annual BATS Summit

  • Sandpit Workshops at BATS Theatre

  • Nil By Mouth: Physical theatre, communication, and language with Saran Goldie-Smith and Jen McArthur at Barbarian Productions

  • Characterization through improvisation with Jamie Irvine at Hutt Repertory Theatre

videos

0:00: "Don't Wanna Be Here" - Ordinary Days (Adam Gwon)
1:37: "Angels, Punks and Raging Queens" - Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Bill Russell)
3:23: Helen of Troy - The Penelopiad (Margaret Atwood)

photos

Photographer credits

modelling

cosplay

Photographer credits

testimonials

"Working with Caryl is a joy, she brings fantastic energy and professionalism to our productions. With her reliability, constructive attitude and presence, she'd be an asset to any show."
Alexander Garside, director
The Goodbridge Million, Between the Lines, Potted Austen: Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility
"It was a privilege to work with Caryl who brought so much to both her roles and the cast of A Study of Bad Accents. Caryl was both professional and fun to work with and I would work with her again in a heartbeat. She is an actor with a great range."
Natania McLeod Roberts, director
A Study of Bad Accents
"Caryl is a versatile, engaging, and generous performer, with unstoppable energy, enthusiasm, and a strong personal commitment to equality and amplifying marginalised voices (her own and others'). She is a joy to work with, always well prepared and creative, and has the most wonderful singing voice."
Susan Williams, director
Cheap and Perfect Does Another One
"I have no hesitation in recommending Caryl in the performing arts. I have directed and acted alongside her a number of times in Drama Christi, a theatre focussed on an inclusive and cooperative style. I have always found her a talented and consummate actor in whatever part she is given. She is always professional in her interactions and a director's dream, picking up on suggestions quickly and intelligently. If she has an idea for improving the portrayal of her character she offers the idea in a respectful manner. I always enjoy her innate sense of humour."
Chris Fisher, director
The Big Blue Planet Earth Show

Contact

If you would like to collaborate with Caryl on a show, book her for your event, or have any other enquiries, please get in touch.

writing

scripts

Golden Hour, initial draft developed with the support of Proudly Asian Theatre with Anya Tate-Manning as dramaturg - please contact for latest draftGolden Hour contains references to suicide, the Vietnam War, martial law in the Philippines, sex work, racism, orientalism, and colonialism.Six the musical meets your problematic Asian faves in this musical in the making: Golden Hour satirizes the iconic Asian women of the Western musical theatre canon, going to group therapy for the problems they faced both within and in the aftermath of their stories.Fresh Off the Page live script reading September 9 2023 directed by Sachie MikawaSoul Sister, initial draft developed with the support of Proudly Asian Theatre with Lynda Chanwai-Earle as dramaturg - please contact for latest draftSoul Sister contains references to suicide, mental illness, grief, queerphobia, and transphobia. Recommended for audiences 13 or over.Arlene's tired of dealing with flatmates, so when she discovers her new flat is haunted by the ghost of a previous tenant, Maricel, of course she agrees to help Maricel move on. However, Maricel has more unfinished business with the living than she's willing to admit to someone she only just began to afterlive with. Only after the two bond over sharing their different Filipino cultures and Arlene's attempts to finish things Maricel started does Maricel let Arlene in on her worries about the loved ones she left behind. Arlene must help a stranger and a new friend heal from their grief over her undead flatmate.Soul Sister is a story of grief, friendship, and healing.Fresh Off the Page live script reading September 22 2022 directed by Sean Dioneda Rivera and reviewed by Ari Banog for Bad Apple:
"Full of boisterous humour, any Filipino who has grown up in Aotearoa would catch the zingers, and yet is so full of heart that could bring us (especially me) into tears. (...) Soul Sister delivers a fresh perspective on Asian representation in our local Aotearoa theatre and, by extension, in any Western theatre. Despite the paranormal themes, it humanises Filipino characters in a way that Western theatre is yet to achieve. The show champions itself with a plethora of representation, from representing different Filipino cultures to queer Filipino mental health."

monologues

"Balikbayan", performed in You'd Look So Pretty If, January 25-29 2022, directed by Rosie Glover
I’m Filipino, which means I grew up helping my parents pack the balikbayan box for our relatives still in the Philippines. We put in groceries that are cheaper overseas than in the motherland, souvenirs, hand-me-down clothes for the nieces and nephews: it's our way of staying connected to our family, even when we can’t see them.
I'm only flying across the Tasman, but I'm feeling like a balikbayan box myself: brown, full of chocolate and Spam, flying back to someone I love and haven’t seen in years."Fever", performed in Sticky Fingers, March 7-10 2018, directed by Eunji Park
I can’t believe we’re one up at half time! The Wellington Phoenix has been having such a crap season. I’ve been to all the home games - even those two games in the middle of exams. Mum wasn't pleased, she wanted me to stay home and study, and to be honest I probably could have used it, but I love the game too much. I love the atmosphere - being part of this great wall of chanting, of clapping, of drumming, of noise, united in support for the Nix and a love-hate relationship with the refs, booing every time Barbarouses gets the ball, the shirt waving the rare times we win.
But I keep getting the same old questions from my mates."Home", performed in Sticky Fingers, March 7-10 2018, directed by Eunji Park
When I moved from the Philippines to New Zealand five years ago, it was only autumn, but coming from a tropical country it was the coldest I’d ever been in my life! Adjusting to the weather was really hard.
So was New Zealand English. Where I’m from, we learn American English. Here, when I needed to put money on my phone, I went down to Spark: Hi, can I please get some load?

poetry

"before and after/shocks"
we were excited when we heard
about the giant squid
half amused, half underwhelmed
to find it looked like nothing more
than a huge pancake with tentacles
not something that could kill us
like the pancake of the BNZ building
which they finally gave up on
over a year after it flattened
"Daisies and Rainbows"
“Don’t you ever write
about daisies and rainbows?”
you ask, after my millionth
poem/song/short story/novel
about being dumped by my girlfriend
and how much I still love her
and how much I miss her
and how much it hurts that
I’ll never get her back.
"Moondance"
When I was little, I always wanted to be
an astronaut, Mum!
(that was before I found out you had to
be good at physics and fairly fit)
Something about flying,
and the final frontier
and my parents being sci-fi nerds.
I suppose I got my wish.

directing

Caryl is a collaborative theatre director interested in platforming and celebrating writer-performers from underrepresented communities and in bringing the best out of their stories.

YearProductionCompany
2023El Camp Machismo as part of New Zealand Fringe FestivalPlaynet Productions
2022Illegally Blind as part of Disabled Artists' Festival of TheatreCosmic Critters Theatre Company
2022Illegally Blind presented by Touch Compass as part of Elemental AKLCosmic Critters Theatre Company

Upcoming:

crew credits

Before 2022, Caryl was credited as Caryl Illana and sometimes as Caryl Alyssa.

theatre

YearProductionRoleCompany
2023El Camp Machismo as part of New Zealand Fringe FestivaldirectorPlaynet Productions
2022Illegally Blind as part of Disabled Artists' Festival of Theatredirector, audio describerCosmic Critters Theatre Company
2022Illegally Blind presented by Touch Compass as part of Elemental AKLdirector, audio describerCosmic Critters Theatre Company
2017The Caryl Churchill Double SeasonpublicistLightshade Productions
2016-20172016 and 2017 seasonspublicistKKT Backyard Incorporated
2015Yours Trulyaudiovisual designerBackyard Theatre Productions
2015Animal Farmaudiovisual designerBackyard Theatre Productions
2013Mike and Virginiagraphic designerCirca Theatre

film

YearFilmRoleCompany
20162016 Directors Announcement (video)director, editorBackyard Theatre Productions
2015Ngā Hau e Whā o Paparārangi (The People of the Four Winds) (video)editorFilm for Change Aotearoa
2015A Slice of Eco Valley (video)editorFilm for Change Aotearoa
2015Tales of Taita - Changing Spaces (video)editorFilm for Change Aotearoa
2011Darling Bullets (video)assistant editorVictoria University of Wellington honors program
2011Winston's Dream (video)assistant editorVictoria University of Wellington honors program
2011Mixing Up the Medicine (video)script supervisorVictoria University of Wellington honors program

training and workshops

  • Lighting Design webinar with Nathan McKendry

  • Creating and Rehearsing Online workshop with Sam Scott

  • Volt 6 Week Producer Power Up Challenge with Vanessa Immink

  • Best Practice for Staging Intimacy with Miriama McDowell and Carrie Thiel in the BATS Annual Summit

  • Techniques, Tactics & Self Care for Autobiographical Writing with Jean Sargent in the BATS Annual Summit

  • Publicity mentee mentored by Brianne Kerr Publicity at Young and Hungry Festival of New Theatre

  • Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Film, and Second Language Education from Victoria University of Wellington with 200 and 300 level film production courses completed

  • Entertainment Show Production professional development study at Disney University