Playwright... Director... Tutor...

Devon has a wide experience in theatre and works not only as a playwright but also as a director, actor, producer and theatre tutor. This combined experience enhances each area of his work. He has been working in the theatre and related industry fulltime since 1990.

Originally from Nelson he has been located in Tauranga since 1993 and is well respected in the theatre community there. Devon is employed by the Detour Theatre Trust to direct, write and tutor theatre. Detour Theatre has commissioned a number of his plays.
Devon is married and has two children.

Playwright credits include...

Understanding Women - Premiered by Absolute Theatre
Lost for Words - Commissioned and first produced by Tonic Theatre
Crazy Ladies - Commissioned and first produced by Detour Theatre

Menopause Made Me Do It - Commissioned and first produced by Detour Theatre

My Husband's Nuts - Commissioned and first produced by Detour Theatre

How To Train Your Husband - Commissioned and first produced by Detour Theatre

Pinocchio - Commissioned and first produced by Detour Theatre
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Commissioned and first produced by Detour Theatre

Blood on Gold - Finalist in the CITA (USA) New Play Competition (One Act).

Directing credits...
Devon has directed over 20 plays and is a regular director for Detour Theatre and Absolute Theatre.

Recent professional directing work includes...

 

- The Merchant of Venice - Detour Theatre

- The Twelfth Night -  Detour Theatre

- Arcadia - Tauranga Repertory Theatre

- Steel Magnolias - Te Puke Repertory Theatre
>>> click for more.

 

Acting credits...
Lead acting credits are too numerous to list however some highlights include...

Art (Absolute Theatre)
Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead (16th Avenue Theatre)
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged (Absolute Theatre)
Ol' Blue Eyes (Zenith Entertainment)

 

Reviews and References...

 

Review: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Bay of Plenty Times
Wednesday, 16 September, 2009

True love triumphs in merry night out.

The sky is dark, thunder crackles and lightning dazzles the senses as a ship sinks, with almost everyone aboard drowned. Not a bad start to a comedy, is it?

Twelfth Night tells the unlikely tale of a sister, Viola (Jess Stringer), and brother, Sebastian (Luke Wilson), who are parted in the maelstrom, each believing the other is dead.
It's a merry tale of mistaken identities, the mutual contempt of drunken revelry and puritanical pomposity, and the eventual triumph of true love.
Director Devon Williamson and the Detour company have produced an immensely enjoyable rendering of one of Shakespeare's most delightful plays.
I knew I was in for a good evening when Jess Stringer delivered her opening lines. What a fine actress the company has found in that girl.
The stage soon fell under the spell of that splendidly drunken tosspot Sir Toby Belch, wonderfully played by Stuart Gunn, and his foppish companion Sir Andrew Aguecheeck (Matthew Simmons).
David Guy was consummate in the role of the highfaluting manservant Malvolio, who is gulled into dressing up in cross-gartered yellow stockings.
And my initial doubts about the director's decision to cast the clown Feste as a woman were at once dispelled by Mandy Hall.
She can hold a very fine tune and this production has made the most of the beguiling songs the Bard sprinkled into his play.
Twelfth Night, which runs until September 25, is the opener of an annual Shakespeare production by Detour.

If they are all going to be of this quality, bring it on, Devon

- Paul Chapman

 

Review: Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Devon Williamson
16th Avenue Theatre, April 9 - 26 2008

If your idea of an evenings entertainment is to switch off and not do a lot of thinking then Arcadia is not for you.
Covering subjects such as Newtonian physics, algorithms chaos theory, philosophy and Romanticism it is inevitable that when watching Arcadia your mind gets a total workout.

Set in a stately home in Derbyshire the action flits back and forth between 1809 and the present day. A cast of characters from both places in time play out the dramas of their lives and piece by piece their stories come together.

History and how it is interpreted is challenged throughout the play and you're left questioning what is true or not. Don't worry, although very complex themes run through this play, it is a masterfully written comedy rife with wit. Trust me you will laugh out loud and often.

The actors that director Devon Williamson has brought together for Arcadia are superb and under his talented direction they ably and passionately bring to life the brilliantly crafted words of Tom Stoppard.

It's obvious the cast has profound understanding of their characters and their insightful delivery of the intricate dialogue is a joy to watch.

Arcadia is a refreshingly challenging play for 16th Avenue Theatre and one not to miss.

Loise Dean
Bay of Plenty Times (Tauranga)

 

Tauranga Repertory Reference
Letter of thanks from Tauranga Repertory Society for directing their production of Arcadia by Tom Stoppard.

Dear Devon,
... Thank you, once again for your contribution towards our 2008 Programme with "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard. When I first read reviews of this play, I was intrigued by the references to the word-play and clever use of the two time periods - though it seemed as though it would be a "diverse puzzle" to achieve what the playwright intended.

It was a pleasure for me to see this production more than once, each time managing to unravel a few more of those interconnecting threads.

The ability to bring in "outside" directors has long been a feature of the Society's planning to develop skills amongst our own members. I feel sure that everyone invloved with the production whether on stage or back stage will have learned something of value from the experience of working with you.

It was certainly an added contributio, that no one foresaw, when you had to step into the role of Septimus at relatively short notice. Again - my thanks for stepping so ably into the role (giving it your own special interpretation) and allowing the season to run its full course.

What a pro! Heartfelt thanks,

Christine Giddens (President)
On behalf of 16th Avenue Theatre.

 

Te Puke Repertory Letter of Reference

In 2007 Devon Williamson was contracted to direct a Te Puke Repertory Society production.
As Devon has used our theatre in the past for Detour Theatre productions, had run directing workshops with our members and was a supportive patron of our own productions we were confident Devon would be the right person to direct our next play; and he was.

"Steel Magnolias" was our very successful production. Successful because the cast enjoyed the rehearsal process and the performance, which was clearly communicated to the audience.

In the supportive, positive environment created by Devon cast and crew quickly felt confident and appreciated in their roles. He valued input from the actors and had the ability to direct us without being a "dictator" but although Devon has a quiet relaxed demeanour when he said "books down" three weeks prior to opening night, books were down!

I was fortunate to be one of the cast in "Steel Magnolias" and I look back fondly of the experience under Devon's direction. We had a great time and are very proud of the end result.

On behalf of the Te Puke Repertory Society it is with pleasure that I recommend Devon Williamson as a director.

Regards,

Dianne Leach
President - Te Puke Repertory Society

 

"...playwright Devon Williamson has great fun with this oddball mix of characters, producing lots of audience laughs."
-The Weekend Sun

“Hilarious, dramatic, insightful... Williamsons plays are winners for the audience and producer alike..”
-Stuart Gunn, Absolute Theatre