Stuart Hoar (born 1957) is a New Zealand playwright, teacher, novelist, radio dramatist and librettist.

Biography

Hoar was born in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. Th ...

and educated at

James Cook High School James Cook High School is a state co-ed secondary school in the South Auckland suburb of Manurewa, New Zealand. School structure The school's colours are royal blue and gold. History James Cook High School was opened in February 1968. Like ...

, Manurewa, and the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn ...

. He worked in the film industry as a sound recordist. In 1986, his first play, ''Squatter'', was chosen for

Playmarket Playmarket is a not-for-profit organisation providing script advisory services, representation for playwrights in New Zealand and access to New Zealand plays. Playmarket was founded in 1973 to encourage the professional production of New Zealand p ...

's National Playwrights Workshop, was produced at

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also r ...

in 1987, and published in 1988. Influenced by Brecht, ''Squatter'' explored the dismantling of New Zealand's large land holdings by the Liberal government of the 1890s. It was determinedly non-naturalistic, using placards, direct audience address, and anachronism to subvert the idea of a "historical drama"; Hoar stated that he was "determined to annoy people". His next play, ''Exile'' (1990), satirised founding figures of New Zealand literature. The following year, Hoar was Writer in Residence at

and received a

Bruce Mason Playwriting Award The Bruce Mason Playwriting Award is an annual award that recognises the work of an outstanding emerging New Zealand playwright. The winner is decided by the votes of a panel of leading New Zealand artistic directors and script advisors. The ...

. In 1993, Hoar received the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

, and during his residence in Dunedin he wrote ''Not So Poor'' (produced at the

Allen Hall Theatre Allen Hall, also known as the Allen Hall Theatre, is a building at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is named after James Allen, Vice-Chancellor and then Chancellor of the university, who was instrumental in raising funds for ...

), based on Mary Isabella Lee's autobiography, and ''Yo Banfa'', about

Rewi Alley Rewi Alley (known in China as 路易•艾黎, Lùyì Àilí, 2 December 1897 – 27 December 1987) was a New Zealand-born writer and political activist. A member of the Chinese Communist Party, he dedicated 60 years of his life to the cause a ...

's time in China, as well as a radio play and research for his novel ''Hard Light''. From 1997 to 2000 he lived in England, during which time ''Hard Light'' was published. While living in

Menton Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border. Me ...

as the 2007 Katherine Mansfield fellow, Hoar wrote ''Pasefika'', inspired by the work of the French artist

Charles Méryon Charles Meryon (sometimes Méryon, 23 November 1821 – 14 February 1868) was a French artist who worked almost entirely in etching, as he had colour blindness. Although now little-known in the English-speaking world, he is generally recognised ...

who had lived in the then French colony of

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for "Long Harbour", which would be spelled in standa ...

in the 1840s. His 2013 musical, ''The Great Art War'', was written with composer Philip Norman and is set in 1950; the plot concerns a dispute between the

Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, wh ...

and the

Christchurch Art Gallery The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, commonly known as the Christchurch Art Gallery, is the public art gallery of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It has its own substantial art collection and also presents a programme of New ...

over the purchase of a

Frances Hodgkins Frances Mary Hodgkins (28 April 1869 – 13 May 1947) was a New Zealand painter chiefly of landscape and still life, and for a short period was a designer of textiles. She was born and raised in New Zealand, but spent most of her working l ...

painting. Three of his most popular plays have been biopics of New Zealanders, in a relatively naturalistic style: ''Rutherford'' (2000), about the scientist

Ernest Rutherford Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937) was a New Zealand physicist who came to be known as the father of nuclear physics. ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' considers him to be the greatest ...

, ''Bright Star'' (1995), about the astronomer

Beatrice Tinsley Beatrice Muriel Hill Tinsley (27 January 1941 – 23 March 1981) was a British-born New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist and professor of astronomy at Yale University, whose research made fundamental contributions to the astronomical understa ...

, and ''The Face Maker'' (2002), about the

plastic surgeon Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...

Archibald McIndoe Sir Archibald Hector McIndoe (4 May 1900 – 11 April 1960) was a New Zealand plastic surgeon who worked for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He improved the treatment and rehabilitation of badly burned aircrew. Early life Archi ...

. His most recent play, ''Rendered'', produced by the Auckland Theatre Company in 2018, deals with New Zealand's involvement in the politics of the Middle East. Since the age of 24, Hoar has written over 30 radio plays which have been broadcast internationally. He has taught playwriting at

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

and Auckland universities, and currently works for Playmarket as their script advisor, and is a lecturer in the School of English and Media Studies at

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural o ...

Plays

*''Squatter'' (1987) – first produced at Mercury Theatre, Auckland; published by Victoria University Press (1988) *''Scott of the Antarctic'' (1989) – Allen Hall, Dunedin; published in ''No.8 Wire:8 Plays/8 Decades'' (Playmarket, 2011) *''Exile'' (1990) – Allen Hall, Dunedin *''A Long Walk Off A Tall Rock'' (1991) – NZ Drama School, Wellington *''American Girl'' (1992) – Allen Hall, Dunedin; published in ''Three Radio Plays'' (Victoria University Press, 1989) *''The Danger of Lifts'' (1992) – Court Two, Christchurch *''Not So Poor'' (1993) – Allen Hall, Dunedin *''Yo Banfa (Gung Ho)'' (1993) *''Rutherford'' (2000) –

Circa Theatre Circa Theatre is a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that was established in 1976. They present a number of plays each year in their two auditoriums, and have a unique partnership and funding model with incoming shows unde ...

, Wellington *''The Face Maker'' (2002) –

, Wellington *''Bright Star'' (2005) – Circa Theatre, Wellington *''Backwards in High Heels'' (2006) – Court Forge, Christchurch *''The Great Art War'' (a musical, with composer Phillip Norman) (2013) –

Court Theatre A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordanc ...

, Christchurch *''Pasefika'' (2010) – Circa Theatre, Wellington, 2014 *''Rendered'' (2018) ''–'' Auckland Theatre Company

Screenplays

* ''Lovelock''

Libretti

* ''Bitter Calm'' (1990) – first performed at the International Festival of Arts, Wellington, 1994 *''Star Fire'' 1995) – an opera for primary and intermediate age school children, composer Anthony Ritchie * ''Quartet'' (2004) – a chamber opera composed by

Anthony Ritchie Anthony Damian Ritchie (born 18 September 1960) is a New Zealand composer and academic. He has been a freelance composer accepting commissions for works and in 2018 he became professor of composition at The University of Otago after 18 years ...

Novels

* ''Hard Light'' (1998), Penguin New Zealand,

Awards

* 1988: Writer In Residence,

* 1988: John Reid Memorial Award * 1988:

* 1990: Literary Fellow,

* 1993:

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

* 1993: Best Screenplay, New Zealand Writers’ Guild Awards for ''Lovelock'' * 1995: Best Dramatic Production, Mobil Radio Awards * 2000: Writer In Residence,

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

* 2005: Writer in Residence, St Andrews College, Christchurch * 2007:

Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship The Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, formerly known as the New Zealand Post Katherine Mansfield Prize and the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship, is one of New Zealand's foremost literary awards. Named after Katheri ...

* 2007: Best Radio Play, Radio New Zealand Awards for ''Attitude'' * 2010: Adam New Zealand Play Award for ''Pasefika''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoar, Stuart 1957 births Living people 20th-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights 20th-century New Zealand male writers 21st-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights 21st-century New Zealand male writers New Zealand male dramatists and playwrights People educated at James Cook High School University of Auckland alumni People from New Plymouth