Winner 2009
Caroline Steinbeis
Production: Mad Forest by Caryl Churchill
Caroline graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama. She attended the Directors’ Course at the National Theatre Studio in 2008. Directing credits include: The Curator (Soho Theatre, rehearsed reading), Mile End (UK tour, winner of the Edinburgh Fringe First and Arches Brick Award 2007) and Photo Story (BAC). Recent Staff directing/assisting credits include Dido Queen of Carthage (National Theatre), The Frontline (Globe), Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat (Traverse Edinburgh, Hampstead, Latitude), Orpheus X (A.R.T.Boston, Lyceum Edinburgh) and The Seduction of Almighty God (Birmingham Rep, Riverside Studios). As producer Caroline has worked with ETT and Treatment Theatre on Hello and Goodbye (Trafalgar Studios), as well as with theatre503 on Ship of Fools and Salt meets Wound. She also runs her own company, Strike Ensemble.
It is immensely reassuring to have the support of the JMK Trust in an industry as challenging as the theatre world. I feel very fortunate to have been given this opportunity, and am incredibly excited to be putting together a production with the backing of such a fantastic creative team. I intend to enjoy this experience to the full – Caroline Steinbeis
Director Caroline Steinbeis, winner of this year’s JMK Award, has set herself a difficult task with Mad Forest; here she triumphs – Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
A most ably acted play directed by Steinbeis with a steady precision and sensitivity to the nuances of people’s behaviour in love, in danger and in grief - Jeremy Kingston, The Times
Finalists in 2009 were Russell Bender, Derek Bond, Kate Golledge, James Hammond, Anna Jones, Ellen McDougall and Joseph Murphy. The selection weekend was led by Roxana Silbert, Ex-Artistic Director of Paines Plough, Associate Director of the RSC and vice-chair of the JMK Board. All finalists participated in a Designer/Director Development Week at BAC working with an award-winning team of creatives led by Jon Bausor and including Ian MacNeil, Ben Oremerod, Mark Espiner and Dan Jones of Sound and Fury, Douglas O’Connell, Ian Dickinson and Jon Clark.
