Dave Armstrong (born 1961) is a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

playwright, screenwriter, trumpet player and columnist for '' The Dominion Post''. His work has featured on stage, radio and television. His television writer credits include ''Spin Doctors'', '' Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby'', ''Great War Stories'', and script editor for

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. Armstrong states:

Just about everything I have learnt about literary and dramatic structure has a parallel in classical music composition. Good dialogue has a rhythm, so if you have a musical ear you can hear it when it works.

''Niu Sila''

In 2004 Dave Armstrong and

Oscar Kightley Oscar Vai To'elau Kightley (born 14 September 1969) is a Samoan-New Zealand actor, television presenter, writer, journalist, director, and comedian. He acted in and co-wrote the successful 2006 film '' Sione's Wedding''. Biography Kightley was ...

co-wrote the play ''Niu Sila'', about the friendship between a Samoan and a Palagi boy in 1960s New Zealand. It premiered at

Downstage Theatre Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that ran from 1964 to 2013. For many years it occupied the purpose-built Hannah Playhouse building. Former directors include Sunny Amey, Mervyn Thompson, and Colin ...

, and went on to win the 2004 Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for Best New New Zealand Play. In 2006 Armstrong and

received the

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Award for Patronage, for ''Niu Sila'' which they co-wrote. In her

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review of the Auckland Theatre Company production, Natasha Hay called ''Niu Sila'' "a triumph." The original "two-hander" play ''Niu Sila'', which is written for 2 actors to play 24 characters, is published by Playmarket, and ''The Tutor'' is published in the same book. In 2007 Armstrong and Kightley adapted the play for schools, so that it can be performed with a large cast. The schools' version was published in 2007 by the New Zealand branch of

Cengage Learning Cengage Group is an American educational content, technology, and services company for higher education, K–12, professional, and library markets. It operates in more than 20 countries around the world.(June 27, 2014Global Publishing Leaders 2 ...

, and features study resources and drama activities. ''Niu Sila'' is one of the prescribed plays for NCEA (NZ) Level 3 Assessment.

List of plays

* 1998 - ''A Christmas Carol'' * 1998 – ''Nitwits'' * 2004 – ''Niu Sila'', co-written with

* 2005 – ''King and Country'' * 2007 – ''The Tutor'' * 2008 – ''RPM'' * 2008 – ''Where We Once Belonged'', adapted from the novel by Sia Figiel * 2009 – ''Le Sud'' * 2009 – ''Kia ora Khalid'' * 2011 – ''The Motor Camp'', based on a story by director

Danny Mulheron Danny Mulheron is a New Zealand actor, writer, and director who has worked in theatre, television and film. Mulheron graduated from Toi Whakaari, Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1983 with a Diploma in Acting. In 2012, he directed ''Fr ...

* 2011 – ''Rita and Douglas'' * 2012 – ''Magnolia Street'' * 2013 – ''Kings of the Gym'' * 2015 – ''Central'' * 2015 - ''Anzac Eve'' * 2020 - ''The Surprise Party''

Awards

* 1995 – New Zealand Film and Television Awards – nominated, Best Television Script – Drama/Comedy, ''Skitz'' * 2003 – New Zealand Television Awards – winner, Best Script – Comedy, ''Spin Doctors'', Series 3 * 2004 – Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, winner Best New New Zealand Play, ''Niu Sila'' * 2005 – Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, winner Best New New Zealand Play, ''The Tutor'' * 2006 – Air New Zealand Screen Awards – nominated, Best Script – Comedy, ''Seven Periods with Mister Grimsby'' * 2006 – Arts Foundation Award for Patronage (co-awarded with

) * 2008 – Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, winner Best New New Zealand Play, ''Where We Once Belonged'' * 2008 – Radio Awards, Best Dramatic Production, ''King and Country'' * 2014 – SWANZ Scriptwriter Awards - nominated for Best Television Drama Episode for ''Hope and Wire'', Episode Five

References

1961 births Living people New Zealand columnists 20th-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights 21st-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights New Zealand male dramatists and playwrights {{NewZealand-writer-stub