Ginette McDonald wins Top International Prize for Radio New Zealand Drama
Wellington actor Ginette McDonald has won Best Performance Award at the 2002 Worldplay Conference in Dublin as the
dominant sister Muriel in Bread of Heaven by Vincent O’Sullivan, produced for Radio New Zealand by Eva Radich..
Worldplay is a worldwide group of top English language radio drama broadcasters, including the BBC and CBC who gather
annually to judge and broadcast a new play from each of the participating networks. As well as the top Performance
Award, the independent judging panel praised Eva Radich’s production of Bread of Heaven for its high production values
and fine script. O’Sullivan is a prolific writer who has contributed plays, books and essays for Radio New Zealand.
Ginette McDonald started her radio career as a fifteen-year-old and has appeared in dozens of radio dramas since. Told
of her win, the well known actor said though many people might think of her for her television roles she began acting
professionally for radio and its still her favourite medium:
“Radio is my first love. This award is a tribute to the continuing high standard of radio drama by Radio New Zealand
and its staff. ”
Ginette is currently starring as Lady Bracknell in “The Importance of Being Earnest” at Circa Theatre in Wellington. She
is also well known to television viewers thanks to her garden makeover programme Ground Forces on TV3.
Radio New Zealand Executive Producer of radio drama, John Dryden, says the award clearly shows that the work being
produced by Radio New Zealand is of a very high calibre and equal to anything being broadcast overseas.