"They needed someone tall for a play, so he came on board. He's been acting ever since." As a teenager she was heavily involved with Harlequin Theatre and MATS, and began dreaming of an acting career.
Her teachers at Kuranui College, however, were not so supportive of her vocation choice - so she transferred to Wellington Girls' College to study music and drama. "Kuranui didn't have the drama department it does now, and the career adviser was like, 'what do you mean you want to do TV and film?' I think they thought I was a bit odd, but I was quite determined." Palmer studied theatre at Victoria University but, following her mother's "sensible" advice, also trained as a teacher.
She taught drama at Heretaunga College, but later left to do a Master of Theatre Arts in Directing at Toi Whakaari.
Since then, she has worked as a director for several children's theatre troupes and the Young and Hungry Arts Trust, as well co-writing and directing historical plays based on events such as the Wahine disaster and the 1918 flu pandemic - which killed her great-grandparents.
Seed, written by journalist and former Shortland Street actress Elisabeth Easther, is Palmer's second play at Circa - having been drawn to the theme of fertility and "the minefield of trying for a baby".
She said she related to the characters' struggles, as her closest friend had difficulty conceiving.
"It was horribly painful for her. I'll never forget having to tell her I was pregnant with my second when she was still trying for her first.
"Pregnancy can be such a touchy subject - I think we're scared to talk with our friends about it without offending someone." She said the play has received positive feedback so far.
"People have been laughing and crying, which is great. It's very women-focused, but men have been enjoying it as well - we have one guy who plays all the male roles, and he's very funny."
-Seed runs at Circa until Saturday February 14.
