One of the most important and influential figures in the history of New Zealand theater, Nola Millar was an indefatigable director and teacher and the founder of Toi Whakaari, New Zealand's premier drama school. This biography explores the full story of her career, her important work as reference librarian at the Turnbull library, and the social contexts in which she worked, providing great insight into the history of theatre in New Zealand.

Introduction: authorship, creativity, and personal cinema -- Origins of a problematic: the Campion family -- The "tragic underbelly" of the family: fantasies of transgression in the early films -- Living in the shadow of the family tree: Sweetie -- "How painful it is to have a family member with a problem like that": authorship as creative adaptation in An angel at my table -- Traumas of separation and the encounter with the phallic other: The piano -- The misfortunes of an heiress: The portrait of a lady -- Exacting revenge on "cunt men": Holy smoke as sexual fantasy -- "That which terrifies and attracts simultaneously": Killing daddy in the cut -- Lighting a lamp: loss, art, and transcendence in The water diary and Bright star -- Conclusion: theorizing the personal component of authorship.

"This ... volume comprises a wide range of chapters focusing on key figures in the development of New Zealand theatre and drama, such as, among others, Robert Lord, Ken Duncum, Gary Henderson, Stephen Sinclair, Hone Kouka, Briar-Grace Smith, Jacob Rajan, Lynda Chanwai-Earle, Nathaniel Lees, and Victor Rodger."--Publisher description.

Internationally acclaimed biographies are almost always written by British or American biographers. But what is the state of the art of biography in other parts of the world? Introduced by Richard Holmes, the volume Different Lives offers a global perspective: seventeen scholars vividly describe the biographical tradition in their countries of interest. They show how biography functions as a public genre, featuring specific societal issues and opinion-making. Indeed, the volume aims to answer the question: how can biography contribute to a better understanding of differences between societies and cultures? Special attention is given to the US, China and the Netherlands. Other contributions are on Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Iran, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and South Africa. "This book represents a much needed breakdown of the history and current status of Biography Studies throughout the world. Any educator teaching a course in higher education that includes Biography Studies should definitely consider this as a major text for inclusion." Billy Tooma, film maker and Assistant Professor, Wessex County College "The rise of biography is the literary event of our time; Hamilton and Renders are its pioneer scholars, and their compelling primer is a must read." Joanny Moulin, Institut Universitaire de France, on Nigel Hamilton and Hans Renders, in: The ABC of Modern Biography (2018) See inside the book

In its first 40 years, from conception to maturity, through stages of growth both painful and pleasurable, Downstage - New Zealand's first and longest running regional professional theatre company - has lived an extraordinary life. This large and lavishly illustrated 'biography' is published to celebrate Downstage's birthday. It covers all the drama and larger-than-life personalities that have characterised Downstage's life, and the many great productions such as Colin McColl's internationally acclaimed relocation of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler to Karori. A major contribution to New Zealand's cultural history.