Aadit tandon
who am i: Boq. Hermes. Romeo. Spongebob. Storyteller.
Take your pick.
It all started because I was terrified of birthday candles.
Yes, really. At five years old, blowing out the candles on my own cake felt like high-stakes survival horror. Desperate to build my confidence, my parents shipped me off to weekly drama lessons in Singapore. What began as a tentative, terrifying step outside my comfort zone accidentally ignited a lifelong obsession with the stage.
Today, my life completely revolves around the electric, unpredictable magic of live performance. As an emerging performer, learner, and storyteller, I chase the moments that shift the energy of an entire room. Whether I’m navigating the heightened language of Shakespeare (like playing Romeo at the Globe!), riding the high-energy pulse of musical theatre, or diving into the raw collaboration of devised work, my ultimate goal is always the same: to create genuine, unforgettable human connections.
Emotional Truth Meets Bold Staging
I’m drawn to stories about identity, belonging, pressure, and growing up. As both a performer and developing director, I love combining honest emotion with bold staging, music, movement, and strong visual ideas to create work that feels imaginative, but still deeply human.
Collaborative & Actor-Focused Direction
In the rehearsal room, my approach is highly collaborative, using improvisation, movement, and character exploration to build a supportive, trust-filled space. I want my actors to feel confident enough to experiment, question ideas, and take bold creative risks. To me, creative leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about listening, staying open, and guiding an ensemble toward a shared vision.
OFFSTAGE & COMMUNITY
Making art is only half of my world. I am incredibly passionate about using theatre to build community and advocate for others:
Glass Ceiling Arts Collective: Working alongside disabled performers to ensure theatre is accessible to everyone.
Tauranga Musical Theatre: Serving as the Youth Representative on the committee to amplify young voices in our local scene.
Speech and Drama New Zealand: Contributing at a national level as a Youth Ambassador.
The Next Act
While I’m proud of the national recognition and opportunities so far, I’m still at the beginning of my journey, ready for the challenge of tertiary study; to push my boundaries, learn from experienced mentors, and continue discovering the kind of artist I want to become.
Ready to collaborate, create, and step into the next rehearsal room.
As an Actor | Versatility, Characterisation and Performance.
With experience across more than 40 theatrical productions, I have explored a diverse range of roles, from leading characters to supporting and ensemble performances, across musical theatre, comedy, Shakespeare, and drama.
Productions such as Wicked, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, Romeo and Juliet, Matilda and 13 have provided opportunities to develop contrasting approaches to characterisation, including comedic timing, emotional authenticity, physical storytelling, vocal expression and character relationships. Each role has challenged me to explore different motivations, subtext, objectives and emotional journeys, extending my versatility as a performer.
Working with different directors and artistic interpretations has strengthened my ability to respond to direction, experiment with blocking, movement and character choices, and adapt to varied rehearsal processes. Performing alongside younger and older actors has developed my ensemble awareness, stage presence, active listening and collaborative storytelling.
Whether portraying a central character or contributing to an ensemble, I move to embrace the challenges of creating truthful, engaging performances while continuously developing my craft.
As a Director and Theatre-Maker | Creative Vision, Devising and Leadership.
My passion for theatre extends beyond acting into directing, devising and collaborative theatre-making. Drawing on my experiences as a performer, I explore script interpretation, dramatic structure, character arcs, blocking, stage composition and ensemble dynamics to shape compelling storytelling.
Working with performers of different ages and abilities has strengthened my creative leadership, challenges and human arcs, communication and ability to guide character development while encouraging individual artistic choices. I enjoy experimenting with staging, movement, pacing and different theatrical interpretations.
For me theatre-making is about bringing together imagination, artistic vision and collaboration to create meaningful performances that connect with audiences.