Dione Joseph, founder of Black Creatives Aotearoa is a theatre director, dramaturg and cultural critic with 18 years experience in the arts sector. She has directed in Aotearoa, Australia and the USA; written extensively as reviewer and critic for Theatreview, NZ Herald, DANZ and contributed radio reviews for RNZ. She has also published academic papers on the role of the reviewer, BIPOC performance and decolonizing dramaturgy. Over the past six years she has curated numerous creative events for BCA including visual arts exhibitions Playwriting and Directors Labs; an online interview-based web series, the first Afro-Kiwi Zine and the Afro-Kiwi Christmas concert and has directed multiple stage production productions centering Black voices in Aotearoa. She is the Executive Producer and dramaturg to Theo Shakes for The Play That Gets Louder. She is an avid fan of the increase in diverse voices across literature and is delighted to be back at the AWF to chair a session again.

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