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Conversation with Paul McLaughlin (+audio)

23 Dec 2008
The fourth Conversation at BATS Theatre was with actor, director and producer Paul McLaughlin. At the Conversation in September 2008 Christian Penny, Head of Directing at Toi Whakaari,…

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The Big Idea Editor

The fourth Conversation at BATS Theatre was with actor, director and producer Paul McLaughlin.

At the Conversation in September 2008 Christian Penny, Head of Directing at Toi Whakaari, interviewed McLaughlin and then invited conversation from the audience.

  • Listen to the Conversation with Paul McLaughlinThe fourth Conversation at BATS Theatre was with actor, director and producer Paul McLaughlin.

    At the Conversation in September 2008 Christian Penny, Head of Directing at Toi Whakaari, interviewed McLaughlin and then invited conversation from the audience.

  • Listen to the Conversation with Paul McLaughlinPaul is a graduate of Otago University (B.A) and completed post-graduate papers in Community Theatre, Directing and Playwrighting. After a year in Gisborne as a QE2 Arts Council Artist in Residence - (directing/producing two site-specific Shakespeares amongst other works) he then spent two years at Toi Whakaari/The NZ Drama School, graduating in 1996 (Dip. Professional Drama [Acting]).

    For the last 11 years he has been working continuously, mainly as a highly sought-after stage actor. Paul has appeared in over 30 theatre productions, in locations such as Dunedin, Brisbane, Christchurch, Ruatoria, Nelson, Gisborne and Wellington.

    In 2004 he won the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for Actor of The Year for his stunning portrayal of the title role in 'Albert Speer'. Paul also works regularly in NZ film and television. With over twenty film/TV credits to his name, the most enduring have been core-cast roles in the TV2 drama 'Jacksons Wharf', 'Insiders Guide to Happiness' and the hit TV1 comedy 'Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby' as hapless principal Roger Dasent.

    "Paul McLaughlin is a writer's dream. In Gormsby, no matter how pathetic his character was on the page Paul had the intuitive gifts and courage to make him truly wretched and somehow likeable. He was fabulous!" - Tom Scott

    Some of Paul's stage credits include 'Cabaret', 'Macbeth', 'Fool for Love', 'Mouth', 'She stoops to Conquer', 'Speed-the-plow', 'The Love of Humankind', 'Oxygen', 'The Bach', 'Drawer of Knives'`, and the Pullitzer Prize winning stage sensation 'Doubt' (Chch Production of the Year 2006). Paul also tours 'Peninsula', Gary Henderson's profound new play. Since it's World debut at the Christchurch Festival in 2005, 'Peninsula' has featured at The Brisbane Arts Festival and The Nelson Arts Festival 2006.

  • Conversation

    If you missed Conversation at BATS Theatre, see Conversation 2008 highlights on The Big Idea.

    The pilot series of Conversation in 2008 was with theatre practitioners Jo Randerson, Simon Ferry, James Ashcroft and Paul McLaughlin.

    Conversation producer Briar Monro says the theatre sector is calling for better critical dialogue and thinking around the work.

    "Our aim is to grow how we talk about our work, about why we make theatre, what we're exploring, what is essential to us and our audiences, what our role is, what is happening now in theatre and the implications of the changes," says Monro.

    Conversation will return in 2009 as part of TBI 2.0.

    23/12/08

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