Supported by Arts Council England in 2009, Direct Access took the work and ethos of the JMK Trust into the regions for the very first time. Our first series of five workshops ran from October to December 2009 in Newcastle, Plymouth, Bristol, Manchester and London. In December 2010 Direct Access workshops happened in Glasgow, Birmingham, Norwich, Leeds and Cardiff.

2011 Direct Access workshops were as follows:

Saturday 8th October – Nottingham Playhouse

Saturday 15th October – Northern Stage, Newcastle

Tuesday 25th October – with the Young Vic at St Andrews, Short St, London, SE1 (evening)

Saturday 29th October – Hall for Cornwall, Truro

Saturday 10th December – Liverpool Everyman Playhouse (this is rescheduled from 22nd October)

For more information please email jo@jmktrust.org.

Whether you have little or some experience, these workshops will give you an expert and practical introduction to developing the skills and techniques needed to fulfill your potential as a director and to succeed.

Direct Access is not an age-specific opportunity. It is directed at early-stage career directors of all ages or those wishing to pursue directing as a career. During our pilot scheme in 2009, 28% of all participants were aged over 30.

“It exceeded my expectations by a long way. It was relaxed, informal, non-scary and very, very informative.”

“I learnt about awards, funding, and avenues to pursue that I hadn’t been aware of before as well as very helpful advice about the JMK Award itself.”

“I was worried the day might focus on those applying for the JMK Award. This wasn’t the case.”

“I was delighted they addressed the issue of fear and felt hugely comforted by understanding that this is common.”

“I felt I learnt from everybody there because of the way a genuine exchange was set up between the workshop leaders and participants.”

“This was the first time in 15 years I have encountered a workshop of this sort in the South West.”

Cathal Cleary

“There is no doubt that Cathal Cleary is a very talented and imaginative young director. Repeatedly, he shows flashes of brilliance that herald a bright future.” British Theatre Guide

“Funny and terrifying at the same time, Disco Pigs is superb.” The Independent

“Cathal Cleary, the director, won this year’s JMK Award. You can see — from his mastery of stagecraft, from the way he siphons the energy from his talented cast of Charlie Murphy and Rory Fleck-Byrne — that he has every chance of following such JMK winners as Thea Sharrock and Bijan Sheibani  to the top table.” The Times

Photo by Alastair Muir

Cathal Cleary graduated from National University of Ireland, Galway with an MA in Drama & Theatre Studies in 2005. He assisted JMK Award alumni Joe Hill-Gibbins on The Beauty Queen of Leenane at The Young Vic (under the Jerwood Assistant Directors’ Program) and Polly Findlay on Roald Dahl’s Twisted Tales at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. Previous directing credits include Trad (Workshop performance, Young Vic), A Raisin in the Sun (extract, 40th Anniversary performance Young Vic), Appointment in Limbo (Dublin Fringe) and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Town Hall Theatre, Galway).

Cathal says: “Winning the JMK Award has allowed me to work on a play that I feel very passionately about, with an incredibly talented group of people and in one of the most exciting and  progessive theatres in London. This simply wouldn’t be possible without the support of the trust. For this rare and unique opportunity I feel hugely privileged and thankful.”

The runners up in 2011 were Prasanna Puwanarajah, Abigail Graham and Tom Attenborough, who each received a £1,000 award, funded by the Ian Ritchie Foundation.

The JMK Award is the single most sought-after prize for outstanding young theatre directors. Great directors acknowledge that you learn to direct by directing – but opportunities to do so are extremely scarce. The JMK Award allows participants to do exactly that. For many, winning this award is the breakthrough moment in their directing career. Increasingly, simply taking part in the Trust’s unique selection process has itself given a powerful impetus to the best theatre practitioners of the future.

The winner in 2011 was Cathal Cleary and his winning production of Disco Pigs ran at the Young Vic from 2nd – 28th September.

“Cathal Cleary, the director, won this year’s JMK Award. You can see — from his mastery of stagecraft, from the way he siphons the energy from his talented cast of Charlie Murphy and Rory Fleck-Byrne — that he has every chance of following such JMK winners as Thea Sharrock and Bijan Sheibani  to the top table.” The Times

A second award, supported by The Ian Ritchie Foundation, provides a smaller cash sum to be used to fund either a production or to enable further research to a selection of runner-up candidates.

Since 1998 the JMK Trust has discovered and nurtured a new generation of exciting, visionary young directors whose work and influence can be seen throughout the British theatre industry.

Submissions for the 2012 JMK Young Director’s Award are now closed.

Applicants:

• Must be not more than 30 years of age on 1st January 2012
• Must not have directed more than two professional productions. We define a professional production as being a full-length piece performed by professional actors (whether paid or unpaid) to a paying audience for a full production run
• Must have some professional training in the performing arts
• Must not be in full or part-time education between now and July 2012 or currently undertaking a degree
• Must be resident in the UK.

Stage One Submission:

Please submit via the form on this website:-

• No more than 100 to 500 words on your choice of text
• No more than 100 to 500 words on your proposed production
• No more than 100 to 500 words on your proposed work process to rehearse the production
• An email attachment copy of your CV in microsoft word format (doc.).

Notes and guidance:

Applicants should choose one classic play, which they would like to direct in the Clare Theatre at the Young Vic.

We recognise that what constitutes a ‘classic’ is subjective but we define it as a play of the highest calibre, written in any period, with a proven and established performance history. Should you consider your chosen play’s classic status to be in any way uncertain, be prepared to make a very strong case for it.

You may choose to be guided by our existing playlists, chosen by established theatre directors, or seek further afield. To see all four lists of plays click on Playlists at the top of this page.

Please note that as in previous years, it will remain the responsibility of applicants to ensure that they have the rights. Where a translation is required, it will be the responsibility of the applicant to choose a translation and acquire the rights for that translation. For more information about securing the rights to your chosen play click here. You are strongly advised not to start preparing an application until you have investigated whether it will be possible to get the rights for the play you would like to use.

We anticipate that many classic plays may be performed in cut version, but if your ideas require more radical dramaturgy, please specify.

The JMK Award constitutes a production budget of £18,000 plus space at the Young Vic. Runner up prizes of up to £2,000 may also be awarded.

Please note that your production will take place in the Clare Theatre at the Young Vic which has a maximum of 60 seats – for details click here. You will be asked to make the best possible endeavours to pay your cast and stage management at Equity ITC *Minimum rates and to take this into account when considering your play choice.

In November 2011 finalists took part in two Development Weeks, hosted by the Arcola Theatre. The first week provided an opportunity to meet and talk with key industry figures such as Howard Davies, Simon Godwin, Josie Rourke and Rupert Goold. The second week provided a chance for each finalist to work with two actors to try out or develop an idea.

Development week 2011, photo by Rob Logan