Alister Emerson

Alister has worked in the theatre industry nationally and internationally for more than twenty-five years, both on stage and behind the scenes. Including stints with The NZ National Academy for Singing and Dramatic Arts (NASDA) and Canberra Youth Theatre.

His theatre skills include; directing, lighting design, dramaturgy and playwriting. He holds a Master’s in Arts Theatre Practice in Directing and has taught theatre making at both University and secondary school level.

By day Alister currently teaches Drama, by night he is the Artistic Director of Duck Bunny Theatre and playwright. His most performed plays include: The Fridge, which premiered in Australia as part of the Canberra100 Centenary Celebrations; and Ed Sheeran Tastes Like Chicken, a comedic satire about the plight of the endangered Maui Dolphins which debuted at the Nelson Fringe Festival in 2016 and was shortlisted for the Playmarket Plays for the Young 2017.

Alister was the winner of the Playwright’s Association of NZ (PANZ) Outstanding Achievement Award 2019 for the success of his play Six Polar Bears Fell out of the Sky This Morning which was performed in 50 cities around the world including in Europe, Asia, United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Alister was chosen as one of 50 international playwrights as part of the 2019 Climate Change Theatre Action project, a worldwide series of readings and performances of short climate change plays.

On weekends Alister likes to mountain-bike, whitewater kayak, tramp and rock climb, when he is not locked in a dark theatre somewhere.