Course Outline

Revealing the play

An introduction to the creative art of directing script, designed for new directors, or anyone who would like to develop and expand their directing skills. The course participants will consider what a director does from choosing the play, having a vision, finding magic moments, working with actors, and collaborating with the creative team.

The course will primarily focus on ways in which directors work with actors to explore and reveal the dramatic content of a script. Directors will discover ways of mining theatre subtext, discovering what lies within and between the lines, to reveal characters, their relationships and conflicts and so maximise the dramatic potential of a play.

Participants are asked to bring with them a short scene from a play that excites them, with no more than 3 actors in the scene. Directing students should be willing to act as well as direct. Creative collaboration and teamwork are core directing skills. This course provides a group-orientated, dynamic and imaginative approach to Theatre directing in an atmosphere which is relaxed, supportive and fun.

About the tutor

Belinda Wild is a freelance director and the Drama Course Co-ordinator at Kinsale College. She has directed for large community groups, youth theatres, students and professional actors both in Ireland and the UK. An associate director at Cork Opera House, for several years, she also edited and directed Opera for community and school audiences for Opera 2005.

At present, Belinda divides her time between running the full-time Drama course in Kinsale and mounting small-scale touring productions of new work at Wild Productions. Most recent productions include the award-winning Mrs Shakespeare, by Ian Wild, the critically acclaimed Mary and Me, by Irene Kelleher, and currently in production, The Polar Bear Fur Coat by Ian Wild. Belinda has a lifelong interest in Shakespeare and instigated the design and construction of a unique cob and cordwood amphitheatre for Kinsale College, inspired by Shakespeare’s Globe. This has been the centre for her practice, her experimentation with theatre forms and the dynamic relationship between actor and audience.

Belinda has been a tutor for the DLI Summer School several times before and is delighted to be returning this year.