Prof Rob Swain

Overview

Biography

I am the Porgramme Director of the MFA Theatre Directing, offering industry-recognised training for theatre directors.

 I am also a freelance theatre director. I was the Artistic Director of Harrogate Theatre, directing over twenty productions, many of which were ACE-funded national tours and co-productions, from Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya and Shakespeare’s Macbeth to a newly commissioned adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s book, Truckers.

Before Harrogate Theatre I was Associate Director of the New Vic Theatre in Staffordshire, commissioning and directing many new plays, twice winning the Mentorn Award for the best production of a new play. I was Associate Director of the London Bubble, innovating ways of working with actor-musicians. As a freelance director I have directed at numerous regional theatres including the Octagon Bolton, Oldham Coliseum the Belgrade Coventry, and in Germany. I received ACE funding for the development of an original opera, Vice, based on Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy.

From 2001 to 2017 I was on the Executive Board of Drama UK, overseeing the professional accreditation of acting and technical training programmes at the UK’s drama schools.

I have recently devised and led director-training programmes for the RSC and I am the Course Director of the Directing Studio at Shakespeare's Globe.

My book Directing: A Handbook for Emerging Theatre Directors is published by Methuen.

Administrative responsibilities

• Programme director and admissions tutor MFA Theatre Directing: https://www.bbk.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/theatre-directing

ORCID

0000-0002-8911-3217

Supervision and teaching

Teaching

Teaching modules

• The Director and the Designer: Unit E
• The Director and the Actor: Unit B
• The Director and the Industry: Unit F
• Course Induction (MFA Theatre Directing): Unit A
• The Director and Directing: Dissertation
• The Director and the Author: Unit D

Publications