Christchurch-born Victor Rodger is a playwright of Samoan and Scottish descent. In 1998 his first play, “Sons”, won Chapman Tripp Awards for Best New Play and Best New Writer and in 2001 he won the Bruce Mason Playwright Award. “My Name is Gary Cooper” was presented by Auckland Theatre Company in 2007, and has subsequently received readings in New York and London. He was the 2009 Ursula Bethell Creative Writing Resident (formerly Canterbury University Writer in Residence). Last year his play “Village People” was part of the ATC Next Stage Season. He is currently working on three new theatre works: “Protection”, “At the Wake” and “Fucking Gauguin”.