David John O'Donnell (born in Nelson in 1956) is a theatre director, actor and academic based in Wellington, New Zealand. He has been a full professor at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

since 2019.

Education

O'Donnell has a diploma in Acting from Toi Whakaari/New Zealand Drama School (1979), where his contemporaries included

Lani Tupu Lani Tupu (born Auckland, New Zealand), billed variously as Larney Tupu, John Tupu and Lani John Tupu, is a New Zealand-born actor of Samoan and English descent. Also known as Lani Tupu Jr. Biography Tupu was born in 1955 to an English mother ...

and Simon Phillips. He is a graduate of both

and the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, where he was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (PGrad Dip) and an MA. His 1999 Master's thesis was titled ''Re-staging history: historiographic drama from New Zealand and Australia''.

Work

O'Donnell began his academic career as an assistant lecturer in Theatre Studies at Allen Hall, Otago University (1992 -1998), and has taught at Victoria University of Wellington since 1999, where he is now a full professor in the School of English, Film, Theatre, Media Studies and Art History. He has won several Excellence in Teaching Awards. O'Donnell co-edited the 2007 book ''Performing Aotearoa: New Zealand Theatre and Drama in an Age of Transition'' with Marc Maufort. In 2017, he co-authored ''Floating Islanders: Pasifika Theatre in Aotearoa'' with

Lisa Warrington Lisa Jadwiga Valentina Warrington (born 1952) is a New Zealand theatre studies academic, director, actor and author. She has directed more than 130 productions, and established the Theatre Aotearoa database. In 2014 she was awarded a Lifetime A ...

. He co-authored ''Playmarket 40: 40 Years of Playwriting in New Zealand'' in 2013 with Laurie Atkinson. He has written and published extensively on aspects of theatre and performance in New Zealand and the Pacific, including articles, book chapters, conference papers and production reviews. He has been the editor of the

Playmarket Playmarket is a not-for-profit organisation providing script advisory services, representation for playwrights in New Zealand and access to New Zealand plays. Playmarket was founded in 1973 to encourage the professional production of New Zealand p ...

New Zealand Play Series since 2010, editing to date 17 play collections and theatre books. He is the regional managing editor for New Zealand of ''The Theatre Times'', a website which provides worldwide theatre news. O'Donnell is currently a full professor in the School of English, Film, Theatre, Media and Communication, and Art History at

, having been promoted to professor in 2019. He has directed many plays, with a strong focus on Shakespeare and works from New Zealand, both professionally and with student performers. Shakespeare productions include several outdoor Summer Shakespeare productions for Victoria University of Wellington, including ''A Midsummer'' ''Night's Dream'' (1991), ''Richard III'' (featuring Jonathan Hendry in the title role) in 1998 and ''Hamlet'', featuring a female 'hero' (Stevie Hancox-Monk) in 2019. He had previously directed ''Hamlet'' in 2005 at Dunedin's

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre on Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. Since 1989 the theatre has hosted the long running play ''The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by author, playw ...

, and has also directed the ''Henry VI'' trilogy for Toi Whakaari/NZ Drama School at

Te Whaea Te Whaea in Wellington, New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. ...

in 2006. Plays by New Zealand writers he has directed include ''Take Me Home Mr'' by William Walker (2002), ''Te Karakia'' by

Albert Belz Albert Alexander Amahou Belz (born 1973) is a New Zealand actor, writer and lecturer. Belz was born in Whakatāne. He is Māori, of Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Pokai descent. He lived in Auckland from the age of 12, then in Hamilton and ...

(2009), ''Heat'' by

Lynda Chanwai-Earle Lynda Chanwai-Earle is a New Zealand writer and radio producer. Her written work includes plays, poems and film scripts. The play ''Ka Shue – Letters Home'' in 1996 is semi-autobiographical and is significant in New Zealand literature as the fi ...

(2010), ''The Great Gatsby'' adapted by Ken Duncum

Circa Theatre Circa Theatre is a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that was established in 1976. They present a number of plays each year in their two auditoriums, and have a unique partnership and funding model with incoming shows unde ...

2010, and ''Hole'' by Lynda Chanwai-Earle (2020), amongst a number of others. (See Awards below for more.) As an actor, he has worked professionally for

Downstage In theatre, blocking is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a Play (theatre), play, ballet, film or opera. Historically, the expectations of staging/blocking have changed substantially over time in Western theater. Prio ...

(Wellington), Centrepoint (Palmerston North) and Wow! Productions (Dunedin) amongst other companies.

Awards

* 2004: Best director for ''Albert Speer'' by David Edgar,

Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards were the main theatre awards in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, from 1992–2014, and have been succeeded by the Wellington Theatre Awards. Established in 1992 and sponsored by law firm Chapman Tripp, ...

*2006: Production of the Year for ''Yours Truly'' by

, Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards *Nominated for the following Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards: ''The Sojourns of Boy'' by

Jo Randerson Joanna Ruth Randerson (born 1973) is a New Zealand writer, director and performer. She is the founder and artistic director of Barbarian Productions, a Wellington-based theatre production company. Biography Randerson was born in Auckland, New Ze ...

(best director, best production and most original production 1999); ''Irish Annals of Aotearoa'' by

Simon O'Connor Simon David O'Connor (born 25 February 1976) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is a member of the National Party. He has represented the Tāmaki electorate since 2011. He is a member of ...

(best director, best production and most original production, 2001); ''Yours Truly'' by Albert Belz (best director, 2006); ''Charles Darwin:'' ''Collapsing Creation'' by Arthur Meek (best director, 2009); West End Girls by Ken Duncum (best director, 2012) *Nominated for Best Director (with Lori Leigh) for ''Hamlet'', Wellington Theatre Awards, 2019. * 2015: Po' Okela Award from the Hawai’i State Theatre Council, for his direction of

Victor Rodger Victor John Rodger (born 1969) is a New Zealand journalist, actor and award-winning playwright
La Mama Theatre, N ...

’s ''My Name is Gary Cooper'' at

Kumu Kahua Theater Kumu Kahua Theatre is a community theater located in the city of Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii. Kumu Kahua Theatre is best known for producing Play (theatre), plays by local Hawaii-based playwrights, especi ...

, Honolulu. *2016: Created Life Member, Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies. *2018: Rob Jordan Book Prize, awarded by the

Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies The Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies (ADSA), formerly the Australian Drama Studies Association, is an academic association promoting the study of theatre in New Zealand and Australia. History The Australian ...

, for ''Floating Islanders'' (joint award with

)''.''

References

External links

* O'Donnell's inaugural professorial lecture
What has theatre contributed to New Zealand culture?
' on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, David New Zealand theatre directors Living people 1956 births Academic staff of Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington alumni Academic staff of the University of Otago University of Otago alumni People from Nelson, New Zealand