Ginette Denise McDonald (born 18 April 1952) is a New Zealand actor, and television producer and director, best known for her comedic
alter ego, "Lyn of Tawa".
Early life
McDonald was born in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
on 18 April 1952, the daughter of Joan Margaret McDonald (née Legg) and James Joseph McDonald, and educated at
Erskine College
Erskine College is a private Christian college in Due West, South Carolina. It is an undergraduate liberal arts college and a graduate theological seminary. The college was founded in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Its sp ...
.
Acting career
Beginning her professional acting career on stage and radio as a teenager, first appearing at Wellington's
Downstage Theatre
Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that ran from 1964 to 2013. For many years it occupied the purpose-built Hannah Playhouse building. Former directors include Sunny Amey, Mervyn Thompson, and Colin ...
in 1967.
McDonald made her New Zealand television debut in 1971 in an episode of the drama series ''
Pukemanu''.
She then spent five years in London, where her television appearances included small parts in programmes including ''
Harriet's Back in Town'', ''
Angels
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...
'' and ''
The Nine Tailors
''The Nine Tailors'' is a 1934 mystery novel by the British writer Dorothy L. Sayers, her ninth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. The story is set in the Lincolnshire Fens, and revolves around a group of bell-ringers at the local parish church. The b ...
'', and the lead in the television play ''Sweeping Plains''.
She also appeared in the production of ''
Don's Party
''Don's Party'' is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The play opened on 11 August 1971 at The Pram Factory theatre in Carlton.
Plot
Don Henderson is a schoolteacher living with his wife Kath and b ...
'' at the
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...
in 1975.
Following her return to New Zealand in 1976, McDonald played the role of Shirley Paget in the television soap opera ''
Close to Home''.
She also played Beryl in the original television adaptation of
Roger Hall's play ''Glide Time''.
From the late 1970s McDonald's best-known character, "Lyn of Tawa", was seen on New Zealand television in her own series (the theme song to which was a remake of the instrumental tune "
The Happy Organ"), as well as in a monologue during the 1981 Royal Variety Performance at the
St James Theatre, Auckland. Lyn reappeared in the 1990s in ''In Search of the Great New Zealand Male'' and ''Visual Symphonies''.
In 1979, McDonald portrayed cheerful mother-to-be Sandra Allenby opposite Stephen Tozer in the tele-movie ''It's Your Child''. She played the title character in the 1983 television drama ''Pioneer Women – Hera Ngoungou''. In 1989 she appeared as Lady Guinevere Galaxy in the children's sci-fi television series ''Space Knights''.
During the 1990s, McDonald's acting credits included ''Dead Certs'' (1995) alongside
Rawiri Paratene, ''Face Value – Her New Life'' (1995)—which she also produced
—and
''Duggan'' (1999).
She also presented the New Zealand version of the garden makeover show ''
Ground Force'' from 1998 to 1999.
She played June Ramsay in the 1997 production of
Anthony McCarten
Anthony McCarten (born 28 April 1961) is a New Zealand writer and filmmaker. He is best known for writing big-budget biopics '' The Theory of Everything'' (2014), '' Darkest Hour'' (2017), ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' (2018), ''The Two Popes'' (2019 ...
's play ''Four Cities'' at Circa Theatre in Wellington.
In the 2000s she has appeared in the one-woman play ''
My Brilliant Divorce'' at Downstage, and as Rhonda in the 2011 tele-movie ''Rage'', set during the
1981 Springbok tour
The 1981 South African rugby tour (known in New Zealand as the Springbok Tour, and in South Africa as the Rebel Tour) polarised opinions and inspired widespread protests across New Zealand. The controversy also extended to the United States, wh ...
.
She also played the role of a marriage celebrant in the 2009 New Zealand movie ''
Separation City
''Separation City'' is a 2009 New Zealand film starring Joel Edgerton, Rhona Mitra, Danielle Cormack, and Les Hill. It is directed by Paul Middleditch. Filming concluded in June, 2009, after 5 weeks of shooting.
It is a comedy-drama, following ...
''. Her daughter Kate McGill is also an actress.
"Lyn of Tawa"
McDonald's alter ego, "Lyn of Tawa", first appeared onstage as a result of a backstage encounter between McDonald and playwright
Bruce Mason
Bruce Edward George Mason (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982) was a significant playwright in New Zealand who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. In 1980, he was appoi ...
in the late 1960s, in which Mason heard McDonald experiment with various accents. McDonald subsequently created "Lyn of Tawa" and, together with Mason and Roger Hall, wrote a series of sketches featuring the character for the
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...
show ''Knickers''. It was, however, after McDonald's return from London that Lyn really came to prominence, following her appearance at a
celebrity roast for Judith Fyfe, which led to spots on variety shows, then one-off special and culminated in her own series.
She said in 2016 that she would ''let go'' of ''Lyn of Tawa'' to take on older roles.
Career as producer and director
McDonald made her debut as a television director and producer on the final series of ''
Gliding On''. She also directed episodes of ''Close to Home'', ''Open House'' and ''Country GP''. McDonald produced the award-winning kidult television series ''The Fire-Raiser'', written by
Maurice Gee, and was the creator and producer of the 1987 series ''Peppermint Twist''. She also produced another series written by Maurice Gee, ''The Champion'', in 1989. Other programmes produced by McDonald include the television adaptations of the 1997 play ''Nga Wahine'' by
Riwia Brown
Riwia Brown (née Taylor; born 1957) is a New Zealand playwright. She is the screenwriter of the popular and award-winning New Zealand movie '' Once Were Warriors'' (1994). The ''Once Were Warriors'' screenplay, adapted from the book of the ...
, and ''Joyful and Triumphant'' by
Robert Lord.
Honours and awards
In 1970 McDonald won the Hollywood Bowl radio award for best voice commercial.
She was twice named best actress at the
Feltex Awards, in 1980 and 1984, for her roles in ''Pioneer Women'' and ''It's Your Child'', respectively. In 1989, she won the best drama and best children's programme trophies for ''The Fire-Raiser'' at the
GOFTA awards, and also won an Australian Pater Award for producer of the best drama series for the same show.
McDonald was a nominated finalist for ''Face Value – Her New Life'' at the
Banff and
New York Television Festival
The New York Television Festival (NYTVF) is a yearly festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often mark ...
s.
In the
2007 Queen’s Birthday Honours, McDonald was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
, for services to entertainment.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Ginette
1952 births
Living people
Actresses from Wellington City
New Zealand actresses
New Zealand television directors
New Zealand television producers
Women television producers
New Zealand comedians
New Zealand women comedians
New Zealand expatriates in England
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit
People educated at Erskine College, Wellington
Women television directors