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 Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand, in 1973 and moved to

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 me ...

when she was four years old. She studied at

Wellington Girls' College Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. Wellington Girls' College is a year 9 to 13 state secondary school, located in Thorndon in central Wellington. H ...

, and then went on to

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 ...

to major in English, theatre and film. She wrote, directed and performed in theatre productions for the Victoria University of Wellington Student Drama Club. At the same time she also wrote for and performed at

BATS Theatre BATS Theatre is a theatre venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Initially founded as the Bats Theatre Company in 1976, then established in its current form in 1989. BATS Theatre has seen the development of many performing arts talents of New Zeala ...

Wellington, and made television appearances as a stand-up comedian. After graduating, She co-founded the theatre group Trouble in 1995. In 2012 she finished her Master of Theatre Arts in directing from Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School and Victoria University of Wellington as well as participating in the Leadership New Zealand programme. Randerson was a recipient of the

Arts Foundation of New Zealand 'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists. The concept ...

New Generation Award in 2008. Randerson's writing has been twice shortlisted for the IIML Prize (2006 and 2008), she has won

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, ...

and was nominated for the

Billy T Award The Billy T Award is a New Zealand comedy award recognizing up-and-coming New Zealand comedians with outstanding potential. It has been presented annually since its inception in 1997 when Cal Wilson and Ewen Gilmour shared the award. The Billy T ...

in 2005. She has earned fellowships at home and abroad – she received the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

in 2001 (Dunedin), Winston Churchill Fellow 2003 (Russia) and completed a CNZ/DOC Wild Creations Residency in 2002 at Cape Kidnappers'. Randerson won the

Bruce Mason Playwriting Award The Bruce Mason Playwriting Award is an annual award that recognises the work of an outstanding emerging New Zealand playwright. The winner is decided by the votes of a panel of leading New Zealand artistic directors and script advisors. The ...

in 1997 for her first play ''Fold'' (part of the Young and Hungry season at BATS). She won the

New Generation Award for Literature in 2008. Her books ''The Keys To Hell'', ''The'' ''Spit Children'', ''Tales From the Netherworld'' and ''The Knot'' have all been critically acclaimed. Her work is characterized as dark social satire. In a review for ''The Keys to Hell'' in ''Landfall 209'', Anna Smith wrote

Randerson's world is a "holding tank" inside which we shriek, or remain terrified and mute witnesses to the despair that is life – a theme rehearsed over and over. Provocation, not subtlety, is the writer's special effect.

In the

2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

, Randerson 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 rend ...

, for services to the performing arts.

Publications

*1998 ''The Knot'' (Wedge Press, 1998) *1999 "The Penguin People" in ''The Picnic Virgin'', ed. Emily Perkins (Victoria University Press, 1999) *2000 ''The Spit Children (''Victoria University Press, 2000) *2003 "Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong" in ''Red Light Means Stop'' (The Women's Play Press, 2003) *2004 ''The Keys to Hell'' (Victoria University Press, 2004) *2004 ''Fold'' (The Play Press, 2004), published with "shudder" by

Pip Hall Philippa Hall (born 1971) is a New Zealand stage, screen and radio script writer and actor. Biography Background Pip Hall is the daughter of writer Roger Hall and grew up mostly in Dunedin, New Zealand. She graduated in theatre studies an ...

*2006 "The Sheep, the Shepherd" in ''The Best New Zealand Fiction'', Volume Three (Vintage, 2006) *2006 "Everything we Know" in ''Are Angels OK?: The Parallel Universes of New Zealand Writers and Scientists'', ed. Paul Callaghan and Bill Manhire (Victoria University Press, 2006) *2009 ''Through the Door'' (illustrated by Seraphine Pick), Wedge Press *2010 ''The Unforgiven Harvest/ The Lead Wait'' (

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 ...

, 2010) *2012 ''Tales From the Netherworld'' (Steele Roberts, 2012)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randerson, Jo 20th-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights New Zealand women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century New Zealand actresses 1973 births Living people People from Auckland People educated at Wellington Girls' College Victoria University of Wellington alumni 21st-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights 20th-century New Zealand women writers 21st-century New Zealand women writers 21st-century New Zealand actresses New Zealand stage actresses Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Toi Whakaari alumni