Alison Walls

Alison joined The Court Theatre as the Education and Outreach Manager in September 2021. In February 2022 she took on the role of interim Artistic Director, and was appointed the Artistic Director in December 2022.

Alison holds a BA in Theatre and MA in French from Victoria University of Wellington, an MFA in Acting from Sarah Lawrence College, New York, and a Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies from the Graduate Center, New York.

She is an experienced actor and director and served as Producer and Administrator for the Wellington Summer Shakespeare Trust from 2009-2012. Alison has taught in diverse university classrooms in Aotearoa and the United States and spent a rewarding summer as a guest lecturer at the Shanghai Theatre Academy in China. She has held several pedagogy-centred fellowships.

Before joining The Court Theatre, Alison spent a year as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Theatre and Performance Studies Department at Governors State University in Illinois. Alongside her work as a company member of the New York theatre non-profit, The Upstart Creatures, favourite directing and acting credits include: Antony and Cleopatra for the 2013 Wellington Summer Shakespeare; Fuddy Meers; The Kitchen at the End of the World (puppeteer); Elizabeth York (younger), When the Rain Stops Falling; Tricia, Dog Sees God; Chorus/Catherine Henry V; Phoebe, As You Like It.