Colin William McColl ONZM is a New Zealand director in theatre, opera
and television. He is a leading figure in the world of professional
theatre in the country, winning numerous awards as well as working
internationally with major national companies. McColl's career spans
more than 30 years in the performing arts where he has also been an
actor and a producer. He has won Best Director at the Chapman Tripp
Theatre Awards three times, received the prestigious Arts Laureate
Award in 2007 and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of
Merit in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours. McColl was born in Lower
Hutt in Wellington, the country's capital.Since 2003, he has been the
artistic director of Auckland Theatre Company.As a theatre director,
McColl has directed more than 50 plays. He is the only New Zealand
director who has been invited to showcase a production at the official
Edinburgh Festival. Award winning productions include A Doll’s House
(1993), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (2000) and Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf (2002).Early in his career, he worked as an
actor in England and in the late 1970s moved to Australia where he
became artistic director at Hole in the Wall Theatre in Perth and
project director for Sydney’s Toe Truck Theatre’s Outback
projects. He returned to New Zealand, where he held the position of
director of the Wellington Performing Arts Centre. McColl played a
major role in the growth of MÄ ori and Pacific Islands theatre in New
Zealand. In 1983, he became one of the founders of Taki Rua Theatre
(formerly The Depot) in Wellington, which presented bi-cultural works
and saw the emergence of award-winning MÄ ori theatre, particularly in
the 1990s. McColl became co-artistic director of Taki Rua Theatre with
playwright Hone Kouka. He directed the classic Nga Tangata Toa play
written by Hone Kouka based on Ibsen’s The Vikings. The play was
re-set in a marae and presented at Taki Rua Theatre. He was artistic
director of Downstage Theatre (1984â€"92), where New Zealand works
were presented as well as classical theatre works. McColl has also
directed productions at the New Zealand International Festival of the
Arts including Ricordi! (1996) written by Peter Wells, based on
stories by Katherine Mansfield. In 2003, he became the artistic
director of Auckland Theatre Company, where his many productions
include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Where We Once Belonged adapted from the
novel by Sia Figiel, End of the Rainbow, Doubt, The Duchess of Malfi,
Equus, Waiting for Godot, Uncle Vanya, Daughters of Heaven and
Pohutukawa Tree by Bruce Mason. Award winning actress Rena Owen, who
played the lead role in the 2009 production of The Pohutukawa Tree
spoke of McColl as the top director in New Zealand. McColl's other
productions include Arthur Miller's The Crucible
and television. He is a leading figure in the world of professional
theatre in the country, winning numerous awards as well as working
internationally with major national companies. McColl's career spans
more than 30 years in the performing arts where he has also been an
actor and a producer. He has won Best Director at the Chapman Tripp
Theatre Awards three times, received the prestigious Arts Laureate
Award in 2007 and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of
Merit in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours. McColl was born in Lower
Hutt in Wellington, the country's capital.Since 2003, he has been the
artistic director of Auckland Theatre Company.As a theatre director,
McColl has directed more than 50 plays. He is the only New Zealand
director who has been invited to showcase a production at the official
Edinburgh Festival. Award winning productions include A Doll’s House
(1993), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (2000) and Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf (2002).Early in his career, he worked as an
actor in England and in the late 1970s moved to Australia where he
became artistic director at Hole in the Wall Theatre in Perth and
project director for Sydney’s Toe Truck Theatre’s Outback
projects. He returned to New Zealand, where he held the position of
director of the Wellington Performing Arts Centre. McColl played a
major role in the growth of MÄ ori and Pacific Islands theatre in New
Zealand. In 1983, he became one of the founders of Taki Rua Theatre
(formerly The Depot) in Wellington, which presented bi-cultural works
and saw the emergence of award-winning MÄ ori theatre, particularly in
the 1990s. McColl became co-artistic director of Taki Rua Theatre with
playwright Hone Kouka. He directed the classic Nga Tangata Toa play
written by Hone Kouka based on Ibsen’s The Vikings. The play was
re-set in a marae and presented at Taki Rua Theatre. He was artistic
director of Downstage Theatre (1984â€"92), where New Zealand works
were presented as well as classical theatre works. McColl has also
directed productions at the New Zealand International Festival of the
Arts including Ricordi! (1996) written by Peter Wells, based on
stories by Katherine Mansfield. In 2003, he became the artistic
director of Auckland Theatre Company, where his many productions
include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Where We Once Belonged adapted from the
novel by Sia Figiel, End of the Rainbow, Doubt, The Duchess of Malfi,
Equus, Waiting for Godot, Uncle Vanya, Daughters of Heaven and
Pohutukawa Tree by Bruce Mason. Award winning actress Rena Owen, who
played the lead role in the 2009 production of The Pohutukawa Tree
spoke of McColl as the top director in New Zealand. McColl's other
productions include Arthur Miller's The Crucible
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