Course details

Building around the big events of contemporary Irish texts, we will learn how to develop a concept for a play and how to translate it into vivid and fresh performances. We will explore how to generate authentic blocking, how to focus action and build strong intention. Alongside developing your personal style of directing, this challenging and stimulating course will help deepen your collaborative creative skills and gain a practical understanding of the role of a director and your relationship with actors, writers and other collaborators in the rehearsal room. This course is for directors who have previous experience. Participants are expected to act and direct material that will be used for the week.
About the tutor

Louise is a director and playwright. Since co-founding ANU in 2009, she has directed all of the company’s multi-award winning work to date, most recently including: Hammam (Abbey Theatre), Staging The Treaty (National Concert Hall / RTE), Old Ghosts by Marina Carr (Irish National Opera), The Anvil (Manchester International Festival), The Lost O’Casey (Dublin Theatre Festival), These Rooms, London International Festival of Theatre and the Monto Cycle. Recent freelance credits include Emma Donoghue’s The Pull of the Stars, Sebastian Barry’s The Steward of Christendom and Mabel’s Magnificent Flying Machine which she authored at the Gate. An Old Song Half Forgotten (Abbey) and The Saviour for Landmark Productions, Dublin Theatre Festival and Irish Rep New York. Louise is a tutor on the MFA Directing Course at the LIR.