Rochelle has been assisting The Court Theatre Props department since 2019 and Be Like Billy? is her first production in charge of all prop creation.
Originally working in fabric construction, Rochelle worked at Macpac where she progressed from tent-making to creating protypes of new products. For many years she worked at John Herber Ltd, creating theatre curtains, background drops and specialist screens and effects for theatres and film sets throughout New Zealand; this included work for Peter Jackson. Rochelle also made many props for projects such as The Southern Centre, a multi-sensory environment in Christchurch.
Combining her design and creative skills with her love of theatre, Rochelle decided to pursue a career either in set building or prop creation. After undertaking studies in the Foundation of Design course at Ara, and additional courses in joinery, carpentry and mechanical engineering, Rochelle has been pursuing her chosen path in prop-making ever since.