Theatre Professor awarded 2024 Kiwibank Local Hero medal
Professor O’Donnell is a pillar of the Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington theatre community, and has demonstrated passion and vibrancy in his teaching over more than two decades.
Described by Kiwibank as “one of those remarkable and unique teachers who engages, inspires, and encourages”, Professor O’Donnell is well known in Aotearoa New Zealand’s theatre community for his generosity and expansive knowledge.
Professor O’Donnell says, “It’s a great honour to receive this award which recognises the importance of teaching theatre in our universities, and the vital contribution theatre has made to New Zealand culture.”
Professor O’Donnell’s work extends to the relationship that Māori and Pacific peoples hold within theatre, authoring and co-authoring numerous works celebrating these connections. In 2017 he co-authored Floating Islanders: Pasifika Theatre in Aotearoa, the first book-length study of the history of Pasifika theatre, which in 2018 was awarded the Rob Jordan Book Prize by the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies.
Professor O’Donnell passionately believes in the importance of practice-led research: “The late Professor Phil Mann founded Drama Studies at VUW as a practical drama programme that merged theory with creative work, and that vision remains unchanged to this day.
“I’ve been inspired by Phil to make theatre as well as writing about it, and it’s been a great privilege to work with so many inspiring theatre practitioners and researchers on the staff of the Theatre Programme and with our talented students who are the next generation of creatives.”
Professor O’Donnell is currently working on several different research projects and journal articles about New Zealand and Pacific theatre, as well as developing collaborative theatre projects with science-based themes.
“We are delighted to see David’s long and illustrious career recognised in this way”, says Professor Sarah Ross, Head of School for English, Film, Theatre, Media and Communication, and Art History. “David has been integral to developing our Theatre programme over more than two decades, and we are fortunate to be the beneficiaries of his dedication, deep knowledge, and passion for theatre in Aotearoa.”
Pouakorangi Programme Director of Theatre, Dr Nicola Hyland, says, “I had the privilege of being at David’s very first lecture at Te Herenga Waka—as a student—and at his final lecture in the Theatre programme, as his colleague. David has taught me so very much. He is an exemplar for all tangata tiriti: he listens, he respects, and he cares.
“Māori and Pasifika theatre scholarship exists as a beacon for global Indigenous performance studies because of the foundations he has laid and continues to build on. David believes in the transformational possibilities of theatre. His influence makes us energized students, inspired teachers, unflappable supervisors and compassionate people.”