Focus on Fundamentals Directors' Workshop

What do theatre directors do and how do they do it?

Tony Forster & Maggie Tarver demystify the art and craft of theatre directing.

Join Tony and Maggie as they share their philosophy, techniques and experience in the craft of theatre directing at their unique Focus on Fundamentals Directors’ Workshop:

The Focus on Fundamentals Directors’ Workshop is designed to be suitable for anyone – no previous directing experience is required. The workshop would also benefit practising directors looking for a ‘refresher’ or actors wanting to have a go at directing as well as theatre practitioners (designers, technicians, stage management, etc).

The workshop is aimed at increasing participants’ skill levels, knowledge and confidence in directing theatre through interactive discussions, anecdotes and practical exercises that cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Defining ‘the Director’.
• Directing different materials – existing, devised, and new works.
• The Director in rehearsal and how to survive Production Week.
• The Director’s toolbox – essential skills, do’s and don’ts.
• ‘Instruction’, ‘Collaboration’ or ‘Inspiration’?
• Working across different art forms, genres, cultures and ethnic traditions.

Tony and Maggie will also be joined by guest speakers Simon Coleman and Andrew Malmo who will share their insights on the relationships and professional dynamics theatre designers and technicians have with directors.

Focus on Fundamentals Directors’ Workshop is presented by The Oryza Foundation for Asian Performing Arts with the generous support of Auckland City Council’s Creative Communities Scheme.

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Disciplined and insightful, Tony Forster is an inspiring director, dramaturg and mentor. Having started out as a tutor in Psychology at Auckland University in his student days, it was an acting stint with the University’s Summer Shakespeare that led to him being invited to join Theatre Corporate, and thereafter, Mercury and Downstage and Taki Rua Theatres. Tony has directed more than 40 professional productions, working on classics such as Uncle Vanya and The Seagull by Anton Chekov, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; as well as a diverse range of contemporary 20th Century works, such as Athol Fugard’s Hello & Goodbye and Boesman & Lena, An Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, and plays by Bertolt Brecht, David Mamet and Barrie Keefe, to name just a few. He has also worked on a multitude of homegrown scripts, including most recently a collection of 7 ten-minute plays in Asian Tales™: Native Alienz, Motel Nights by the Auckland Playwrights Collective, The Childhood of Sebastian Trigor and Bosoms McGee and the Magic Onion by Daren Takle. He has also been involved in devising productions from scratch, most memorably a tribute to singer Jim Morrison of the Doors, entitled The Celebration of the Lizard and a schools-tour play about a teenage rugby player whose back has been broken in a scrum.

A Creative in the true sense of the word, Tony enjoys sharing his knowledge, experience and philosophy of both directing and script development. In recent years, he has been invited to be a director, mentor and dramaturg with Playmarket NZ, the Auckland Theatre Company’s Literary Unit, the New Theatre Initiative, the Auckland Playwrights Collective and The Oryza Foundation for Asian Performing Arts.

Maggie Tarver trained as an actor in the UK and worked in the UK Repertory Theatre and West End circuits before coming to NZ in 1989 with her daughter, Louisa. She began working in the film and television industry as a Casting Assistant (on projects such as The Piano, Lost World, and Hercules for over 6 years). She then moved on to work for herself as a Casting Director (on Jackson’s Wharf, NZ Auditions for Moulin Rouge, Willfull, He Died with a Falafel in his Hand, and numerous TVCs) whilst continuing her career as an actor in TV productions including Outrageous Fortunes, Marlin Bay, Homeward Bound, and Shortland Street. Theatre performances in NZ have included Kindertransport, Quills and Don’t Misunderstand Me, and she wrote, produced, directed and acted in the theatre production adaptation of Estralita. Maggie was employed full time as a tutor of acting for screen for South Seas for the past 8 years before taking up the position of Executive Director for the Society of Authors. During that time she directed numerous theatre productions including Marat/Sade, Carpe Jugulum, Under Milkwood, Abigails Party, Find Me and wrote and directed several short films including Silver Spoon, Neighbourhood Watch, Popping Daisies, Notch, Beetween Courses and Te Tirohonga. She is script writer on a number of feature film adaptations including Holy Days (due to be filmed late 2009), Gunner Inglorious, Classical Music, Angelina and Arnwood. She is also working towards developing a reality TV series.

Maggie’s hobbies include painting (water colours and pastels) and horses. She has two dogs, two cats, two goldfish and five horses (her first foal was born 3am Sunday 2nd November 2008).

Simon Coleman is a theatre designer with over 100 productions under his belt. Simon has a unique perspective on how theatre design interacts with the action of a play. His most recent work includes Station To Station, Ooh Baby Baby! and Killer Joe. Simon also directs musical productions and has worked with many amateur groups and private schools on musicals such as Bat Boy The Musical, The Boy From Oz and Urinetown. 

Andrew Malmo is a producer, production manager, lighting designer and photographer and is managing director of Strata Creative Limited. Having lit over 35 professional productions since 1998, his most recent work was on Roger Hall's Four Flat Whites in Italy for Auckland Theatre Company which toured to five centres in 2009. Andrew was Programme Manager for the 2009 Auckland Festival where he also executive produced Red Leap Theatre’s The Arrival and coordinated the festival’s Watch This Space new work development programme. He was previously Technical Manager for the 2007 Auckland Festival.