Movement Directors in Contemporary Theatre

‘When directors understand the value of a movement director they remove any sense of hierarchy within the room and place movement directors firmly by their side for they are and should be their co-pilot, navigating and creating the world of the play.’
— Joan Iyiola

Movement directors work with the physical, living bodies at the heart of theatre productions, creating movement languages with actors and directors. Through a series of in-depth interviews with leading theatre practitioners, Ayse Tashkiran charts the growth of the movement director in contemporary theatre. The voices of Jane Gibson, Sue Lefton, Kate Flatt, Toby Sedgwick, Siân Williams, Struan Leslie, Ellen Kane, Peter Darling, Steven Hoggett, Ann Yee, Imogen Knight and Shelley Maxwell explore processes of creativity, collaboration and innovation for the moving body in performance.

The conversations open up:
Growth of movement direction through the 20th century
New insights into embodied theatre practice
Diverse movement approaches and creative preparation
Physical trainings and influences
Working methods with directors and actors in the rehearsal room
Movement for actors in opera, film, television and musical theatre
Relationships between movement direction and theatre choreography
Potential future developments in the field

Author Biography

Ayse Tashkiran is a Senior Lecturer and Co-Course Leader MA/MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and is the recipient of a Society for Theatre Research award for her research into the history of movement direction. She practises as a movement director for a variety of professional theatre productions and companies including the Young Vic, the RSC and WNO max.