Barbarian

JO RANDERSON ONZM (they/them) is an Aotearoa New Zealand Arts Foundation New Generation Laureate, and the founder/artistic director of Barbarian Productions. They are an award-winning playwright and author, with the recent addition of their nonfiction book: Secret Art Powers. They have received the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award, Robert Burns Fellowship and the 2023 Topp Prize for comedy.

Jo is the creator of Barbarian’s 25 year catalogue of works, from their seminal solo performance Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong (2001) to large-scale outdoor immersive experiences U R Here (2023) & U R Back (2024).

Barbarian Productions loves people, music, trees, costumes, dancing and parades. They are makers of theatre, but not as you know it. They’re all about making magic happen in unexpected places, filling life with art and art with life.