The JMK National Programme across our partner venues is curated and run by our four Director Practitioners (DPs) – who are established, locally-based directors.
These DPs curate our Programme for their region, working with their nearest partner venues to tailor our Programme to the needs of local directors. The emerging directors who take part in our Programme benefit from the mentorship, guidance and support of their local DP, who is in place to oversee their creative and professional development. The DPs also lead workshops at each others’ venues, exchanging knowledge and skills to benefit all our participants.
Our four Director Practitioners (DPs) lead our groups at our partner venues as follows:
Maria Crocker: Northern Stage and Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
Maria is originally from Middlesbrough in the North East of England. Her theatre credits as a Director include: Growth (Northern Stage Studio); Brian Looks Like Alan Rickman (York Theatre Royal Studio); Found (Alnwick Playhouse). Theatre as Associate Director: Meek (Headlong); Gods Are Fallen And All Safety Gone (Greyscale, International Tour); The Gamblers (Greyscale, Dundee Rep). Theatre as Movement Director: Leaving (Curious Monkey). Theatre as Assistant or Staff Director: Hadestown (National Theatre); Mood Music (The Old Vic); Pinocchio (National Theatre); Animal Farm (Northern Stage); Catch 22 (UK Tour). Theatre as Deviser: No Miracles Here, Five Feet In Front, Bonenkai (The Letter Room).
Piers Black: HOME Manchester, Leeds Playhouse and New Vic Stoke.
Piers is Artistic Director of Manchester-based company, Ransack Theatre. He trained on the National Theatre Directors’ Course, and was Resident Director at the Almeida Theatre. He is recipient of the John Fernald Award, BBC Alfred Bradley Bursary Award, and JMK Assistant Director Bursary. As Director, theatre includes:Catching Comets (Pleasance), Crops (The Yard, Live Drafts), Love and Money (ALRA), Minus Touch (Royal Exchange); Moth (Hope Mill Theatre); The Dumb Waiter (Site Specific – Lucy Davis Vaults, NSDF and HOME); Solve (Edinburgh Fringe). As Assistant / Associate Director, theatre includes: Light Falls (Royal Exchange) Stories (National Theatre); The Writer (Almeida Theatre); City of Glass (Lyric Hammersmith and HOME); So Here We Are (Royal Exchange and HighTide Festival); Yen (Royal Exchange).
Martin Berry: Royal & Derngate, Birmingham Rep and Nottingham Playhouse
Martin sits in the board of Stage Directors UK, trained on the Clore programme and is an international consultant for Trinity College. Previous directing credits include: Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella (Queens Theatre Hornchurch), Smile (UK tour with Tiger Press Publishing), The Last Five Years (Tobacco Factory Theatres), Neverland, A Christmas Carol, Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods, Lysistrata, Oh What a Lovely War, Little Shop of Horrors, Doctor Faustus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Wiz (Nottingham Lakeside).
Nik Partridge: Reading Rep, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Salisbury Playhouse
Nik is a South-West based director whose work focuses on contemporary writing, adaptation and engagement. He was Director-in-Residence at Tobacco Factory Theatres from 2014-2015 and is currently Staff Director at Theatre Royal Plymouth, where he is responsible for artist development and support. As a freelance director Nik has made work for: Bristol Old Vic, Royal Court, Traverse, Tobacco Factory Theatres, Mayfest, the egg, Bath Theatre Royal, Strike-A-Light, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Oran Mor, Galway International Arts Festival, Travelling Light, New Diorama, Bikeshed Theatre. He trained on the National Theatre Studio Directors Course and at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He was a BBC Performing Arts Fellow in 2014.
If you would like to join any of our groups at these partner venues, simply email suzie@jmktrust.org
