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

Biography

Hoar was born in

New Plymouth New Plymouth () 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, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

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. History James Cook High School opened in February 1968. Like most New Zealand state secondary schools of the era, the school was ...

, Manurewa, and the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

. 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 ...

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

Rewi Alley Rewi Alley (known in China as 路易•艾黎, Lùyì Aìlí, 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 an ...

'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 (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

as the 2007 Katherine Mansfield fellow, Hoar wrote ''Pasefika'', inspired by the work of the French artist Charles Méryon 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 Ngāi Tahu, Kāi Tahu Māori language, Māori for "Long Harbour", which woul ...

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 (CCC) 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 Ma ...

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 for a short period was a designer of textiles. Born in Dunedin, she was educated Dunedin School of Art, then became an art teacher, ...

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 was a pioneering researcher in both Atomic physics, atomic and nuclear physics. He has been described as "the father of nu ...

, ''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 the first female professor of astronomy at Yale University, whose research made fundamental contributions to the as ...

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

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 Arc ...

. 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 City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

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 () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

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 an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts general ...

, 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 o ...

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 The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

* 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 (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

* 2005: Writer in Residence, St Andrews College, Christchurch * 2007: Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship * 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