It’s Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, so it felt like a good moment to challenge myself to write something to mark the occasion – so here is a practical look at how I try to embed mental health awareness into the culture of the rehearsal room, every single day. Risk, Rest, Repeat – Directing with Mental Health in Mind We’ve all been talking about safe spaces lately – and rightly so. In theatre, where the work is emotional, physical, personal, andRead more
Posts tagged: #directorlife
In Praise of the Portfolio Artist
(Or: Why “I Haven’t Got Any Work” Is a Lie I Keep Telling Myself) This week, my mum asked why we haven’t been asking her for much childcare lately. And without thinking, I replied: “It’s because I haven’t got any work.” Which is – of course – a lie. The truth is, unless I deliberately carve space, I work every day. Not always glamorously, not always healthily – but constantly. And the strange thing is, I almost didn’t notice. (WhereRead more
What Is Dramaturgy? (And Why No One Can Quite Define It)
Ask anyone to define dramaturgy, and you’ll get a lot of very different answers. It’s notoriously hard to pin down, mostly because it shifts depending on the project and the combination of people you have in the room. But since receiving the very welcome news that I was shortlisted for the 2024 Dramaturg’s Network Fellowship, I thought it was about time I was able to define what it is I actually do – after all – it’s a pretty poorRead more