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 centuryNew insights into embodied theatre practiceDiverse movement approaches and creative preparationPhysical trainings and influencesWorking methods with directors and actors in the rehearsal roomMovement for actors in opera, film, television and musical theatreRelationships between movement direction and theatre choreographyPotential future developments in the field

Ayse Tashkiran is a movement director, teacher and researcher in the field of actor movement. After graduating from the Drama Department at Bristol University, she trained with Lecoq at L'Ecole International Jacques Lecoq for two years in Paris. After a career as a physical theatre performer, she started to movement direct and teach. She joined Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2003 where she co leads the MA/MFA Movement: directing and teaching. She is the recipient of a Society for Theatre Research award for her research into the history of movement direction. Ayse Tashkiran practices as a movement director for a variety of professional theatre productions and companies including the Young Vic, the RSC and WNO max.

Forewords Maria Aberg and Joan Iyiola
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. Early practitioners and practices
3. Themes
4. Jane Gibson
5. Sue Lefton
6. Kate Flatt
7. Toby Sedgwick
8. Siân Williams
9. Struan Leslie
10. Ellen Kane
11. Peter Darling
12. Steven Hoggett
13. Ann Yee
14. Imogen Knight
15. Shelley Maxwell
16. Future voices with Diane Alison-Mitchell, Polly Bennett, Lucy Cullingford, Ioli Filippakopoulou, Natasha Harrison, Chi-San Howard, Vicki Igbokwe, Jennifer Jackson, Ingrid Mackinnon, Rebecca Meltzer, Coral Messam, Anna Morrissey, Sue Mythen, Sacha Plaige
17. Beyond the room: Contexts and structures