Freedom to Thrive

Kathleen Gallagher began her writing career as a poet and playwright at the age of 18. She was involved as a scriptwriter with the Blue Ladder Theatre Group in Christchurch (1984-86), and then as co-founder, co-producer, scriptwriter and director with Women's Action Theatre Group (1985-1993). Their plays were initially produced and performed in Christchurch, beginning with Mothertongue in 1986. They then toured throughout New Zealand. With Women's Action Theatre, she wrote, directed and toured seven plays.

At the same time Gallagher was also writing poetry and she went on to publish three collections - Tara (1987), Gypsy (1993), and Twilight Burns The Sky (2001). Fiona Kidman wrote about Tara, 'the presentation of these poem is exquisite, the work itself is interesting and image laden, often delicate in style.' In 'Canta', Naomi Edwards writes about Twilight Burns the Sky, 'This is New Zealand poetry at its finest. The imagery is strong and violent yet surprisingly beautiful. These poems sound good. They strike a raw nerve.'

Gallagher's works have been produced for stage and radio in both New Zealand and Australia. In 1993, she received the NZ Playwrights Award. Three years later, her radio play Charlie Bloom, was a finalist in both the New Zealand Radio Awards and the New Zealand Media Peace Awards.

Since 1998 she has worked fulltime as a writer and a filmmaker. In 1999, Mothertongue, her first collection of plays was published, followed in 2002 by Peace Plays. She has written and produced over 15 plays.

Kathleen Gallagher first came to prominence as a filmmaker in 2000 when she made and launched the short film Jimmy Sullivan at the Academy cinema in Christchurch. A strong advocate for peace, she produced the documentary Peaceful Pacific in 2004. In the same year, she received the prestigious Sonja Davies Peace Award for the ground breaking feature documentary Tau te Mauri / Breath Of Peace, a powerful account of this country's peace movement that culminated in New Zealand becoming nuclear free.

In 2013 Kathleen wrote and workshopped a play commissioned by the Court Theatre on the earthquake and post-earthquake transition period that Christchurch is experiencing. The working title of this play is 'Awakening Ruaumoko'. Following this, Kathleen completed the novel Earthquakes & Butterflies - Otautahi Christchurch, which launched in Christchurch on September 2015. Jane Hole writes in Tui Motu - "This is surely one of the finest pieces of writing to come out of the Christchurch earthquakes. Kathleen Gallagher tells, with deep tenderness and compassion for both the people and the land, the story and spirit of all that the moving earth laid on the heaving doorsteps of Christchurch."