Writing & Performance CV


Education

Bachelor of the Arts, VUW 1994, major: Theatre/Film and English

Master of Theatre Arts, Directing, 2012, VUW and Toi Whakaari


Awards & Prizes

Topp Prize for Comedy, 2023

ONZM, 2020

Michael King Writer’s Residency, 2019

New Generation Laureate 2008, Arts Foundation (sponsored by Freemasons)

Shortlisted for IIML Prize in Modern Letters 2006, 2008

Shortlisted for Billy T James Comedy Prize 2005

Winston Churchill Fellowship (Russia) 2003

DOC Creative New Zealand Wild Creations Residency, 2002

Robert Burns Fellow, Otago University 2001

Bruce Mason Playwrighting Award, 1997

Phoebe Maunsell Award for artists, 1996

Best Portfolio, VUW creative writing course, 1997

Another Mammal, Writer, Best New NZ Play, Wellington Theatre Awards 2021

Most Original Production (Absolutely Positively Walking), Wellington Fringe Festival 2006 

Golden Gibbo Award (Carry On Randerson), Melbourne Comedy Festival 2004

Best Comedy (Cracks in the Garden), Melbourne Fringe Festival 2003

Best Comedy (Peeling Back the Paint), Wellington Fringe Festival 2002

Most Original Production (The Unforgiven Harvest), Wellington Fringe Festival 2000


Publications

Secret Art Powers, Barbarian Productions 2024

The Wind Is Up And We’re On, Barbarian Productions 2019, (poems)

Tales from the Netherworld, Steele Roberts 2012, (short stories)

The Unforgiven Harvest/The Lead Wait NZ Play Series, 2010

Through The Door, Wedge Press 2009 (short adult’s story illustrated by Seraphine Pick) a Sunday Star Times Best Book 2009

Fold in ‘Fold/Shudder' (The Play Press 2003)

Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong in 'Red Light Means Stop' (Women's Play Press, 2003),

The Keys to Hell, VUP 2004 (short stories and prose poetry)

The Spit Children, VUP 2000 (short stories, illustrations by Taika Waititi)

The Knot, Wedge Press 1998 (a short adult’s story, illustrated by Vita Cochran)


Teacher

Massey University

Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School

Programme teacher on the MFA at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington


Performer

Speed Is Emotional - Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts, March 2026

Speed Is Emotional - SILO Theatre, 2025

Good Night – The End, Downstage Theatre, 2009

Absolutely Positively Walking!, Outdoor, 2006

Jo Randerson’s Skazzle-Dazzle, Bats 2005

Carry On Randerson, Bats 2004

Cracks In the Garden, Bats 2003

Peeling Back the Paint, Artspace and Wellington City Art Gallery 2002

Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong, Odin Teatret, Denmark, 2001

The Girl Who Died, Bats 1996 

Black Monk, Bats, 1996


Director

A Slow Burlesque written/performed by Freya Finch, SILO Theatre, 2024

45c an Hour, written/performed by Dominic Hoey, Basement Theatre, 2021

Vanilla Miraka, written/performed by Hayley Sproull, Taki Rua, 2016

No More Dancing in The Good Room, written and performed by Chris Parker, SILO Theatre, 2016

Cook Thinks Again, performed by Tom Clarke, Barbarian Productions 

Sing It To My Face, Barbarian Productions, 2016

Carnival Hound with Maria Dabrowska, Sleep/Wake Research Centre 2009


Stories, Plays, Articles, and Creative Non-Fiction in the Following Books

The Journal of Urgent Writing, Volume 2, Massey University Press 2017

Penguin Book of Contemporary New Zealand Short Stories, 2009

Some Other Country: New Zealand’s Best Short Stories 2008, VUP

Are Angels Okay? ed. Bill Manhire and Paul Callaghan, VUP 2006

Best NZ Short Fiction 3, Random House 2006

121 New Zealand Poems, VUP 2005

Great Sporting Moments, ed. Damien Wilkins, VUP 2005

Fold in Fold/Shudder, The Play Press, 2003

Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong, in Red Light Means Stop, the Women’s Play Press, 2003

The Picnic Virgin, ed. Emily Perkins, VUP 1999

The Next Wave, ed. Mark Pirie, UOP 1998

Mutes and Earthquakes, ed. Bill Manhire, VUP 1997

Several Plays in the School Journal


Plays Premiered

Speed is Emotional, Silo, 2025

Another Mammal, Circa, 2020

Odd One Out, Capital E, 2016

Good Night – The End, Downstage Theatre, 2009

Absolutely Positively Walking!, Outdoor, 2006

Jo Randerson’s Skazzle-Dazzle, BATS 2005

Carry On Randerson, BATS 2004

Cracks In the Garden, BATS 2003

halo, with Douglas Wright and the Royal New Zealand Ballet

Peeling Back the Paint, Artspace and Wellington City Art Gallery 2002

Mahy Madness, Capital E Theatre, 2001

Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong, Odin Teatret, Denmark, 2001

The Unforgiven Harvest, Downstage Theatre, BATS 2000

The Sojourns of Boy, with Briar Grace-Smith, BATS, 1998

The Flying Clouds, Silo, 1999

Mouth, Tory Street Carpark 1997

The Honey-Bear and the Reaper, Allen Hall 1997

The Lead Wait, BATS 1997

The Girl Who Died, BATS 1996

Black Monk, BATS 1996

Cow, BATS 1996

Fold, BATS and Downstage 1995

‘Aoterroroa’ with Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, director Geoff Pinfield, Sep. 2008

Witches Over Wanaka with Flat Out Productions, premiered Wanaka Festival of Colour, May 2009

Left and Right, choreog. Ann Dewey, Juny 2009, Best Dance, Metro 2009

Carnival Hound with Maria Dabrowska, May 2009


Film Credits

Hey, Brainy Man, writer and co-director with Loren Taylor, 2024, NZIFF Patrons’ Award for Best NZ Short Film 2024 

Nobody WINZ, (pilot) writer and co-director with Kathleen Winter, 2023 

Things At Home, online series, 2020 lockdown (writer, actor and director) https://www.barbarian.co.nz/work/things-at-home

Several Ways of Getting Around, writer, dir. Rachel Davies


Other Achievements

Teacher at Toi Whakaari, Victoria and Massey University

Guest Speaker – Performance of Hope Conference, Auckland University, 2015

Co-chair of Big Live Arts Group – independent arts network, Wellington, 2015-11-04

Vogelmorn Community Group Trust, founding member

Posted Love – exhibition designer National Library (1999), Dunedin & Christchurch (2000), Tauranga (2001)

Bombs Away – artist, exhibition, 2002 in Christchurch, 2003 in Wellington

Fringe Arts Trust Board member, 2007-2008

CNZ Emerging Leaders’ Course, 2007-8

Curator: ’My House Surrounded By A Thousand Suns’ exhibition at TheNewDowse ’08

Writer: ’We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For’ commissioned radio feature on the current state of our environment (produced by the Royal Society and Radio New Zealand as part of In The Goldilocks Zone series)

Trustee, Wellington Artists' Charitable Trust 2003-2004

Tutor ‘Acting Up’: theatre company of actors with intellectual disabilities

Tutor Silver Noodle Soup: theatre company of young actors with disabilities


International Projects

‘Wat er gebeurde terwijl de mussen de polka dansten’- an adaptation of The Spit Children for HETPALEIS, Belgium’s largest Youth Theatre, 2014

M&A — collaboration with visual artists Goldin+Senneby, DPAG and Artspace 2013 and at Moscow, Venice and Istanbul Bienalle

Loose Promise, solo theatre performance by Kate McIntosh, premiere Berlin September 2007, Writer

Hair From The Throat, company Kate McIntosh, devisor/performer, premiere Brussels 2006 then Paris 2006

All Natural, solo theatre performance by Kate McIntosh, premiered Brussels 2004, Writer

REACT: Literature in the Everyday, Munich 2000, curated by Horst Konietzny, 2003, Writer (multi-media project)

Bleach: theatre collaboration with Boilerhouse theatre, Edinburgh, Writer, performed Edinburgh and Wellington 1998

A Big Big Room Full of Everybody’s Hope — by Amit Noy, dramaturg and co-director, Marseilles, Paris 2023


Periodicals

Landfall

Europe: NZ Edition 2006 (in translation)

Sport

JAAM

The Herald on Sunday

The Listener

Incommunicado (Melbourne)

White Fungus

Staple

Voiceworks (Melbourne)

Turbine

Playmarket News