Peter O'Shaughnessy OAM (5 October 1923 – 17 July 2013[1]) was an Australian actor, theatre director, producer and writer who presented the work of playwrights ranging from Shakespeare, Shaw, Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov to modern dramatists, such as Ionesco, Pinter and Beckett.
For The British Council he has lectured on the plays of Shakespeare to universities in many countries of Europe, and in West Africa and South America.
[8] In September 1957, he staged the first Australian production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the Arrow Theatre in Melbourne with himself as Vladimir and Humphries as Estragon.
The critic of the Melbourne Sun wrote "so engrossing and well-done is this extraordinary adventure by Samuel Beckett regimented by Peter O'Shaughnessy's tender care that for me the evening passed by on wings".
Later in the same year, O'Shaughnessy planned a production of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion for December, in tandem with a children's play to be performed at matinees.
O'Shaughnessy himself wrote that "Barry's performance as The Bunyip was the finest and most touching he had ever given in the theatre, and the character very close to his secret heart."
She said, in part: "Stupidity and lack of talent are forgivable; brave failures are deserving of praise – these are every day human failings.
They were obviously impressed by her courage, her sheer elegant dash, her shining intellect finding expression in felicitous language, her good manners, charm, poise.
"[5] In a separate judgment, Windeyer went further: "the matter published by the respondent in its newspaper was a vigorous, and in parts abusive criticism of a public performance of 'Othello'".