Telling Tales

Victor Rodger's first play SONS debuted at The Court Theatre in 1995. Thirty years later his play Black Faggot is playing to packed houses in The Court Theatre's brand-new premises. Born and raised in Ōtautahi, playwright Victor will discuss the inspiration for Black Faggot as well as for his other plays which include My Name is Gary Cooper and Ranterstantrum.

Bio

Victor was born in Christchurch in 1969. He has been a journalist in Christchurch, London and Auckland.

His first foray into professional writing was writing stories for Ears, National Radio’s children’s programme.

His semi-autobiographical first play, Sons, was accepted into the 1994 Australasian Playwrights’ Workshop and subsequently premiered at The Court Theatre, Christchurch in 1995.

In 1995, Victor attended Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, graduating in 1997, the same year as his second play, Cunning Stunts was performed at BATS Theatre as part of Young & Hungry.

In 1998, Victor re-wrote Sons and it was performed by Taki Rua Productions. It subsequently won four Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards including Most Outstanding New Writer and Most Outstanding New New Zealand Play. 

Victor has worked on Shortland Street as a writer and storyliner. He has also acted in various films, plays and televison series including Stickmen and Mercy Peak.

In 2001 Victor won the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award and Ranterstantrum was commissioned by the New Zealand Festival. It premiered in the Festival's 2002 programme.

My Name is Gary Cooper was produced by Auckland Theatre Company in 2007 and in 2013, his play Black Faggot premiered at the Auckland Fringe Festival and went on to tour nationally and internationally, winning the Best Production and the Auckland Arts Festival award, and Melbourne Fringe Festival 2013 Award for Innovation.

He has held several writing residencies including the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence at the University of Hawaii, the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago and was the 2017 Victoria University of Wellington / Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence, based at the International Institute of Modern Letters. In 2018 he held the University of Auckland Residency at the Michael King Writers' Centre. In 2021 he was named an Officer of the Order of New Zealand merit for services to theatre and Pacific arts.