Shining a light on our MA Theatre Directing graduates

Our MA in Theatre Directing is well-known for being an intensive course which is committed to developing the next wave of innovative theatre directors – and the breadth of our graduates’ work definitely reflect this! Let’s shine a light onto some of our MA Theatre Directing alums, and share what they’ve been working on…

As former Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, Michael Longhurst is known worldwide for his varied work, including Constellations (Royal Court, West End and Broadway), which won the Olivier Award for Best Revival. His production of Next To Normal first opened at the Donmar Warehouse before preparing to transfer to the West End in June 2024 and gaining multiple major award nominations and wins – including a WhatsonStage Award for fellow Mountview alum Jack Wolfe!

Meanwhile, alum Emily Aboud has also worked at the Royal Court, where she directed Scam-Uh-Life. She was also a shortlisted finalist for the Sir Peter Hall Director Award, and won an Evening Standard Future of Theatre Award in 2021. Emily is also an Associate Artist at the Bush Theatre and Artistic Director of Lagahoo Productions.

Rachel Bagshaw is currently Artistic Director of the Unicorn Theatre in South London, as well as an Associate at the National Theatre and recipient of the Peter Hall Bursary for 2023/24. Rachel made her Globe Theatre directorial debut with The Duchess of Malfi on the Sam Wanamaker stage earlier in 2024.

It’s common for graduates to work together after leaving Mountview – as with Daniel Blake (Director) and Yusuf Niazi (Producer) who worked on Bones at the Park Theatre, which also earned Daniel a nomination for Best Director in The Stage Debut Awards.

Similarly, fellow alum Alice Fitzgerald has similarly received a nomination for Best Director in The Stage Debut Awards. She also directed Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks (Abbey Theatre, Royal Court) which was also written and performed by MA Acting graduate Sarah Hanly, as well as Bonfire (Departure Lounge, Derby Theatre, Tour)

Lilac Yosiphon received the inaugural Annie Castledine Award, and was also a runner-up for the Sir Peter Hall Director Award. She is RTYDS Resident Director at the Curve in Leicester, where she has worked on shows including Billy Elliot and The Wizard of Oz. Lilac is Artistic Director of Althea Theatre and was Staff Director of The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre

Also at the National Theatre, Séimí Campbell was Associate Director on The Witches in 2023, while fellow alum Sophie Dillon Moniram was Resident Director of The Crucible (National Theatre and West End transfer).

Georgie Staight is another name with work currently being staged in the West End, as Associate Director for the smash-hit Operation Mincemeat. Georgie’s credits also include Associate Director of Dawn French is a Huge Tw*T (Tour) and Director of The Wizard of Oz at the Watermill Theatre.

Another familiar face at the Watermill Theatre is Becca Chadder, in her role as Playwright in Residence. Becca has also worked as Assistant Resident Director on Hamilton (West End), and both wrote and directed Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol at the Orange Tree Theatre.

Becca (Assistant Director) has also worked alongside fellow directing alum Denzel Westley-Sanderson (Director) on The Importance of Being Earnest (Leeds Playhouse and Tour). The acclaimed production received nominations for Best Director and Best Play at the Black British Theatre Awards, and Denzel was also nominated for Best Director in The Stage Debut Awards.

Many MA Theatre Directing grads have appeared in the Offies Offest nomination lists, from Jen McGregor (The Real William Shakespeare – As Told by Christopher Marlowe!) to Ben Newman and Ben Fleming (Moderation). Similarly, several graduates have presented work at VAULT Festival, including Kayla Martell Feldman (Right Dishonourable Friend) and Zoe Morris (writer of The Phase – which also won the Stiles and Drewe Award for ‘Vision, Voice and Potential’).

As well as writing and directing, many grads work across different areas of the theatre process – such Gwenan Bain who was Assistant Stage Manager for new musical Flowers for Mrs Harris at Riverside Studios. Gwenan was also the Director of The Wolves at The Space.

Also in London, Grainne Robson recently directed Bea P. Deigh at the Pen Theatre, while Charles Quittner was Director of All the Fraudulent Horse Girls at The Glory. Phoebe Rowell John directed The Intricate Art of Actually Caring at the Hope Theatre, while at the Turbine Theatre in the new Battersea Power Station development Tania Azevedo was the Director of But I’m A Cheerleader. Fellow alum Alex Howarth has directed A Brief List of Everyone Who Died (Finborough) – and was also named in the Guardian’s list of ‘Stage Sensations to Watch Out For in 2023’,

Meanwhile Tara Noonan has worked extensively across the capital – from Bat Boy at the London Palladium (Assistant Director) to Diary of a Gay Disaster at King’s Head Theatre (Director and Dramaturg) and Songs For A New World at The Gatehouse (Associate Director).

And last but not least – Amy Liptrott is Director at the Aberdeen Arts Centre, having been appointed to this newly created role in 2022. Prior to her appointment, she also worked at Manchester International Festival and the Octagon Theatre in Bolton.

Find out more about Mountview’s MA Theatre Directing course and apply for September 2024 here.