Colin McColl Actor Profile

Colin is one of New Zealand's leading theatre directors. He co-founded Taki Rua Theatre in 1983 and served as Artistic Director of Downstage Theatre in Wellington from 1984 to 1992. In the mid-1990s, alongside Hone Kouka, he led Te Roopu Whakaari, producing five original works, including the acclaimed "Ngā Tangata Toa" starring Nancy Brunning. Since 2003, he has been the Artistic Director of Auckland Theatre Company. Colin has directed for the Norwegian National Theatre and the Dutch National Theatre, as well as major theatre companies in New Zealand and Australia. He is the only New Zealand director invited to present his work at the official Edinburgh Festival, where his 1990 production of "Hedda Gabler" received critical acclaim. The production also featured at the Ibsen Festival in Oslo, the Covent Garden Festival in London, and the 1991 Sydney Festival. A multi-award-winning director, Colin has received several Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, including Best Director for his 2002 production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?." His many notable productions for Auckland Theatre Company include "Anne Boleyn", "Midnight in Moscow", "Lord of The Flies", "Awatea", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Calender Girls", "The Crucible", "Waiting For Godot", and "Uncle Vanya." Colin's opera credits include "Quartet" (New Zealand International Arts Festival 2004), "La Boheme" (Wellington City Opera), "The Italian Girl in Algiers", and "The Marriage of Figaro" for the NBR New Zealand Opera. In 2009, he remounted his production of "The Italian Girl in Algiers" for the Scottish Opera. Recognized for his artistic achievements, Colin was honored at the Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Awards in 2007 and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010. His past contributions to the NZ Festival include premieres such as Briar Grace Smith's "Haruru Mai", Victor Rodger's "Ranterstanstrum", Dave Armstrong's adaptation of Sia Figiel's "Where We Once Belonged", the chamber opera "Quartet", and Peter Wells' "Ricordi!", a reimagining of Katherine Mansfield's "Prelude" and "At The Bay."