James McKinnon is the Programme Director of the Victoria University of Wellington Theatre Programme. Aside from Theatreview, his writing appears in such for a as Theatre Research in Canada, the Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, Canadian Theatre Review, Teaching Learning Inquiry. He has also contributed chapters to recent anthologies on Shakespeare, Chekhov, and the role of theatre in sexual health education.
At VUW he teaches courses in dramaturgy, modern and postmodern drama, and dramatic theory and criticism, and has directed three original devised performances: Shit Show (inspired by Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi); Mystery Play, derived from the English liturgical plays; and Brututum Zum Pum!, a neo-futurist cabaret.
Prior to moving to New Zealand in 2011, James worked across Canada as a freelance dramaturg, technician, designer, and director. He has studied and taught at several other renowned theatre training institutions, including the Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama at the University of Toronto, the University of Alberta, McGill University, and the University of Calgary.