Getting to know... Michaela Sheehan

By day Michaela Sheehan is a year 7/8 classroom teacher at Broadgreen Intermediate School. By night she takes the stage as a performer. And somewhere in between she runs her own music studio - Mickey’s Music Studio, teaching musical theatre, voice, piano and theory.

At the weekend you’ll find me...

On a Saturday walking around town perusing the market, drinking coffee and spending time with my husband and my friends. Sundays are dedicated to school planning and rehearsals for whatever I am currently working on. At the moment that is ‘A Man of Two Servants’ which is on in January at Fairfield House with Piece of Work Productions.

At a party you’ll find me…

Singing along to whatever is playing or trying to convince whoever is in charge of the music to play some 2000’s pop classics. I’ve also been known to start up an impromptu dance floor in the smallest of spaces. Good music is essential to an epic party.

My real-life superpower is…

Classroom teacher by day and performer by night! I have this ability to juggle performance projects alongside my full-time job in the classroom and I love that I can do this. The support of my amazing husband Carl, and my family and friends means I can give my all to my tauira during the day and fill my performer cup regularly, they keep me organized, inspired and fed during show seasons.

When I need advice I go to…

Depends on if I want levelheaded advice or just a bit of a rant where I feel heard. For well-seasoned advice with good solutions, it is my dad or my husband. For anything that I feel really emotional about it is always my sister, my mum or one of my close girlfriends. They have a way of making me feel heard, supported and then allowing me a bit of space to work through anything tricky.

I get myself out of a funk by...

Getting out in the sun for a walk, often up the Centre of New Zealand. The movement and being out in the sun can beat any blues.

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken…

In recent times was taking on two challenging plays, acting in 13 different characters across them at the Nelson Fringe Festival earlier this year. This was such an ambitious project to tackle alongside full-time classroom teaching at Broadgreen Intermediate and running my musical theatre studio. It was a huge balancing act.

I am most passionate about…

Encouraging our rangatahi in the arts. If I can encourage and inspire anyone to take up an instrument, perform onstage or find some escape through music then I feel like I have been successful. My music teaching studio is a huge part of my life, and I am forever grateful to Peta Spoomer and Wakatu Dance Theatre for allowing me to teach our young people alongside them. This is also strongly reflected in my classroom teaching.