BEHIND THE PEN
Stephen writes and directs for the screen and stage. He is the co-author of stage comedy sensation Ladies Night which continues to be performed throughout the world. In 2001 the French version won the prestigious Moliere Award for stage comedy of the year.
His historical drama The Bellbird was produced as a main bill for the Auckland Theatre Company in 2002, and was published by Reed in 2004. Reviewing it in the NZ Herald, Peter Calder called it “a play of heart and soul and a valuable addition to our literature.” And in 2004 ATC premiered The Bach, a success they repeated in 2005. The Bach continued to prove its appeal to New Zealand audiences with productions in the other main centres. Both The Bellbird and The Bach are prescribed texts for Drama Studies in New Zealand secondary schools.
More recent theatre productions include his surrealist thriller Drawer Of Knives, and satirical musical Love Me Tinder. Also Success, a comedy drama about the tangled relationships of three stand-up comedians.
Stephen’s film credits include a co-writing credit on The Two Towers, being the second film in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Earlier collaborations with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh include Meet the Feebles, and in 1991 Braindead, which won Best Screenplay at the 1993 New Zealand Film and Television Awards.
His directorial debut, Russian Snark, premiered at the 2010 NZ Film Festival in Auckland. It went on to be nominated for 6 NZ Film Awards, including Best Director, and won the Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2011 it won Best International Film at the Garden State Film Festival, and the Grand Jury Prize at the Brussels Independent Film Festival.
Stephen is author of the novel Dread, and children's book Thief of Colours. His collection of poetry, The Dwarf and the Stripper, appeared in 2003. Poems from the collection were selected for two anthologies: ‘Spirit Abroad: a Second Selection of Spiritual New Zealand Verse’ and ‘121 New Zealand Poems’, selected by Bill Manhire.
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