Morag Brownlie

Film maker and multi-media artist Morag Magnolia Brownlie created Birds of Paradise.

Her background is as a short film maker, professional choreographer and costumiere.

due to BIrds of Paradise being mostly self-funded and produced, Morag held the roles of Writer, Director, Choreographer, Producer and finally the Wardrobe coordinator of many talented costume designers.

Rodney Council part-Funded the first season. The multiple seasons that followed were possible due to the generous support of the amazing cast and crew. Morag funded most seasons A cast member became a sponsor.

Morag plays an eccentric Ornithologist MC in birds of paradise.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/moragbrownlie/

BIO

Morag Brownlie is an artist  of many mediums. According to reviews - 'a visionary auteur' with 'an extraordinary vision, both celebratory and profound'.  She is managing director of Kiss the Ground Ltd.

Morag has worked in film, contemporary dance, theatre, costume, wearable art, visuals and special events. She was nominated for the Nokia NZ film awards for her short film ‘Mes Mer’... which made A-list international film festivals.  She produces, writes, directs, choreographs, and performs.    

http://www.nzonscreen.com/person/morag-brownlie

“Morag Brownlie is one of NZ’s most innovative and expressive creatives. She has propelled her imaginative spirit and choreographic skills into the creation of high octane exhilarating experiences for the enjoyment by a wide range of enthusiastically appreciative audiences, over many years.”  

Brownlie was a major contributor to the World of Wearable Art for well over a decade, as choreographer, artistic director, visuals creator and performer.  She has created many unique performance experiences - from intimate duets at weddings to large entertainment concepts for the likes of Team N.Z -  Designing  2 x Americas Cup Balls and Sky City’s 5x New Year’s Eve extravaganzas.  Since  working intensively for Wearable Art, and having a family took her focus, Morag has re-emerged with 'Birds of Paradise '. This show has been delighting audiences for some time.

South Pacific and Africa

Morag has always been interested in indigenous culture. She spent a year at  'Puawai ' Polynesian performing arts trust school. After graduating from the Auckland Performing Art School in Auckland ( now UNITEC ) with a diploma in contemporary dance, Morag studied dance in Tanzania.

She toured with 'The Bagamoyo players'  national theatre company, performing community theater about AIDS. Upon returning to New Zealand Her African experience inspired a sell-out full-length multimedia dance-theatre work ‘The Passage’. Morag filled  The Watershed Theatre' with sand, an overflowing audience and a massive cast ( which included babies and animals.)

"Brownlie shares an extraordinary vision – both celebratory and profound"      NZ Herald on ' The Passage'