Every week on RNZ's Culture 101 we ask an artist to share their love of culture and the cultural heroes that inspire them.
In actor Ginette McDonald's case they're some of the people closest to her: daughter actress Kate McGill, her mother and father - who took her to the ballet and theatre - and school friend Kathy O'Shea - who first got her to drama classes.
Among the friends of the arty O'Shea family was playwright and actor Bruce Mason, who helped get McDonald her first role aged 16 as a French maid in Noel Coward's Private Lives at Downstage. She also tells Culture 101's Mark Amery Mason had a hand in her going on to create her infamous character Lynn of Tawa, for a late night Downstage revue,
Culture 101 caught up with McDonald in the brand new bar of Circa theatre on the Wellington waterfront. It's not just a new bar and restaurant, but a complete redesign of the restored building with a new kinetic art installation on the opened out frontage by designer Kayne Horsham.
Amery and McDonald have a 'Blithe Spirit' cocktail to celebrate Circa's production of Noel Coward's comedy of the same name. McDonald stars as eccentric medium Madame Arcati. Directed by Colin McColl, it's running in Wellington until April 19.
