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, Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Z ...

since 2019.

Education

O'Donnell has a diploma in Acting from Toi Whakaari/New Zealand Drama School (1979), where his contemporaries included Lani Tupu 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. 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 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 (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, ballet, film or opera. Historically, the expectations of staging/blocking have changed substantially over time in Western theater. Prior to the movemen ...

(Wellington), Centrepoint (Palmerston North) and

Wow! Productions Wow! Productions is a professional theatre co-operative based in Dunedin, New Zealand. It performs in non-theatre spaces, described by one reviewer as "weird and wonderful venues". The co-operative began in 1996 and is run by a charitable tr ...

(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 (best director, best production and most original production, 2001); ''Yours Truly'' by Albert Belz (best director, 2006); ''Charles Darwin:'' ''Collapsing Creation'' by

Arthur Meek Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Stanley Meek CMG (7 October 1883 – 14 August 1955) was a British Indian Army and Indian Political Service officer. Meek was born in Larne, Ireland, the son of a clergyman. He was educated at Bedford School and the Ro ...

(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, 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, for ''Floating Islanders'' (joint award with Lisa Warrington)''.''

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 Victoria University of Wellington faculty Victoria University of Wellington alumni University of Otago faculty