John Smythe

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John Smythe has trained and worked professionally in New Zealand, Australia then back in New Zealand as a playwright, director, screenwriter (& screenwriting teacher), actor, theatre critic and book writer.

His formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Dramatic Art from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney) and a Certificate in Screenwriting from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. He has also completed honours papers and a range of script writing courses.

Theatre directing credits in Australia include plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Gorki, and world premieres of plays by himself, Len Radic, David Williamson, Louis Esson, Katharine Susannah Prichard, Jack Hibberd and David O’Brien. Back in NZ he directed his own trilogy of short plays – ENTRANCING EXITS: Ms Conception; Nothing Twisted; Used Heads, at Bats Theatre, Wellington International Festival of the Arts; Faulty (sic) Towers & Blackadder’s Banquet at the Museum Hotel.

Playwright credits include Entrancing Exits (BATS Theatre), Conundra (Ensemble Productions), Swaggy Mack and his Magic Back Track (Arena Theatre), The Seven Stages of Hugh Mann (Melbourne University Theatre), Party Games (Jane St Theatre; La Mama) and Making A Play (Melbourne Theatre Company; Central Theatre), Where There’s a Will (BATS Theatre). Unproduced plays include Thelma, Weather and The Virtues of Reality.

John has also written The Peace Monster (Vintage, 1991); Downstage Upfront: the first 40 years of New Zealand’s longest-running professional theatre (Victoria University Press, November 2004) and The Plays of Bruce Mason – a survey (VUP & Playmarket, November 2015).

Amid a wide range of acting roles on stage, television and film, John has played Polonius and the Gravedigger in Hamlet twice (2006 and 2011). In 2012 and with Arts On Tour NZ in 2013 he played James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Carl Jung in Jan Bolwell’s Dancing in the Wake. In 2015 he played Barry Scanlan in his own play, Where There’s a Will, at BATS Theatre. (Since 2000 he has also played Birdboot in an annual VUW English Dept reading of Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound.)

Before becoming the founding Managing Editor of Theatreview.org.nz in 2006, John was a theatre critic for The Melbourne Times, The Australian, Theatre Australia Magazine, The National Business Review.

John Smythe's reviews

Nick Rado – Radology

Wellington

16/05/2023 - 20/05/2023

"Heritage, health and generational humour plus ‘the perfect joke’..
Melanie Bracewell – Forget Me Not

Wellington

13/05/2023 - 13/05/2023

"Presented with a delightful ease that belies the exquisite crafting of her thematically aligned comedic commentary..
Sanjay Parbhu – Dope-Amine

Wellington

10/05/2023 - 12/05/2023

"Clever premise and good stories could deliver more on the promise..
Kura Forrester – Here If You Need

Wellington

09/05/2023 - 13/05/2023

"Outrageous hilarity and a touch of poignance bring meaning to the cryptic title..
Abby Howells – La Soupco

Wellington, Hamilton

09/03/2023 - 25/02/2024

"Full of originality, disarming honesty and fanciful narrative..

"A lively and insightful ride, bouncing between two states of being..
WONDERKIND

Wellington

09/07/2022 - 05/05/2023

"Epic creative explorations – so much experienced in so little time!..

"Humour, surprises, artistic creativity and the joy of playful friendship..

More reviews
Taku Waimarie

Wellington

02/05/2023 - 05/05/2023

"Thoroughly enjoyable discovery of the value of cultural identity..
THE COVEN ON GREY STREET

Wellington

29/04/2023 - 27/05/2023

"Seasoned cast of veteran actors superb..

"A rich theatrical treat on many levels..
Cocked & Reloaded

Wellington

18/04/2023 - 22/04/2023

"Good comic timing and team-work generate 80 minutes of well-wrought fun..
THE KING OF TAKING

Dunedin, Nelson, Wellington

14/10/2022 - 25/03/2023

"Entertaining excellence that pricks the pretensions of those in power..

"Masterful miming and a theatre full of laughter..

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STORIES ABOUT MY BODY

Whangarei, Wellington, Hamilton

14/10/2022 - 02/03/2024

"A courageous act of generosity and care that makes the human divine..

"Offers astonishing revelations into human experiences that are fundamental to our very existence: unique yet universal..

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Only Bones V1.10

Wellington

11/02/2023 - 07/03/2023

"Playfulness that variously fascinates, astounds, intrigues and provokes empathy..
Flow

Wellington, Dunedin

05/03/2023 - 19/03/2023

"A poignant exploration of love, death, grief, and what it means to live a life that subverts expectations..

"If the purpose is to set us adrift in a Limbo where things that may once have seemed important are…..
WHAT KEITH DID

Wellington

02/03/2023 - 05/03/2023

"Entertainingly absurdist production raises pertinent questions about being disenfranchised, robbed, angered, apologetic and even forgiving..
THE CULTURE

"Zeros in on an abiding issue that constantly needs to be called out..
GASLIGHT ME

Dunedin, Wellington

23/03/2022 - 04/03/2023

"An extremely intelligent, insightful and entertaining exposé of a persistent psychological condition..

"A scintillating production - both ebullient and subtle..
TO BE FRANK

Whangarei, Wellington

30/09/2022 - 04/03/2023

"An immediately relatable yet surprisingly profound microcosm of the human condition..

"ABSURDLY FUNNY, EXCRUCIATINGLY HUMAN..
In Bed with Schoenberg

Wellington

25/02/2023 - 17/03/2023

"Darker notes of a contradictory life..

"Universal themes of being misunderstood, underappreciated and displaced resonate amid the comedy..
THE FLOATING THEATRE

Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington

01/03/2017 - 25/02/2023

"As a show of two halves, it engages its audiences in very different ways and is well positioned as part…..

"Seriously good, feel-provoking theatre..

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CAUTION WET FLOOR

Wellington

21/02/2023 - 25/02/2023

"Reality and fantasy, disappointment and joy, desire and hubris foxtrot with each other in this compelling microcosm of the human…..
The Big HOO HAA! PŌNEKE

Wellington

17/02/2023 - 18/02/2023

"The vocal enthusiasm of the large crowd of improv enthusiasts attests to the quality of this format and its execution..
DARK RADIO

Wellington, Dunedin

17/02/2023 - 19/03/2023

"Playful Pastiche on Mass-Paranoia in Spy-Thriller..

"Offers a safe space to experience paranoia and contemplate how it erupts and spreads in our world..