Intercultural Performance and Theatre Director
John G Davies is a New Zealand theatre director and performer with a career spanning over 50 years. His early career began with The Court Theatre, Auckland University, New Zealand Puppet Theatre, Street Theatre Arts Festival, Dramadillo, Prometheus Productions, and as a member of Red Mole Theatre, touring internationally for eight years, based in New York City.
John works across modern and classical plays, devised theatre, Noh, and opera, with notable productions and original works such as Rakiura, Hobbs; The Shaping of a Nation, The Taiaha and the Testament, Te Pakkhai (Māori/English adaptation of The Bacchae), Librettist/Producer/Director of the World Premiere Season The Juniper Passion (Michael Williams) at Teatro Roma Monte Cassino, Italy, and the World Premiere of Ihitai ‘Avei’a – Star Navigator (Tim Finn) with New Zealand Opera.
He directs opera, writes libretti, teaches stagecraft and solo performance, and publishes on intercultural performance. He is also a songwriter and musician and released his debut album, Let’s Ride, in 2020 and regularly performs his solo play Te Tupua The Goblin.
Director’s Diary
Notes on Technique
Notes on Technique is a step inside the rehearsal room while directing Fate & Rebellion at the Waikato Conservatorium of Music (Handel’s Semele, Bizet’s Carmen, Weber’s Der Freischütz, Bernstein’s Candide; Sept 19–20, 2025).
Training Opera singers in Stagecraft
My brief is to run stagecraft classes. The unique opportunity for me is that my time with this small group is not for production purposes but for training in acting and stagecraft.
The Village of 12 Nights
In relation to the task of creating a work with the Glass Ceiling Arts Collective, I sit at the four-cornered intersection of art, personal development, community growth and fun. Theatre requires discipline and a certain technique, and being mindful of parameters, I strive to strike a balance. My results are mixed, and I continually question the outcomes.
Te Tupua -
The Goblin
A solo play written and performed by John G Davies
A Scottish sailor is shipwrecked on the coast of Aotearoa; the year is 1815. Captured by a Māori hapu he lives as a slave, a warrior, and a husband. It is a fight for survival, and such occurrences are present in the historical records and the oral histories of Iwi Māori.
