Polly Findlay
Production: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Polly trained at LAMDA and at the National Theatre Studio, where she was the recipient of the Bulldog Prinseps Bursary for Young Directors in 2006. Polly was the joint winner (with Derren Brown) of the 2012 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment for Derren Brown: Svengali.
Productions in 2019 include Caryl Churchill’s A Number at the Bridge Theatre, starring Roger Allam and Colin Morgan.
Directing credits also include Rutherford and Son (National Theatre); The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Donmar Warehouse), Macbeth (RSC), Beginning (National Theatre and West End); Limehouse (Donmar Warehouse); Ghosts (HOME, Manchester); The Alchemist (RSC, Barbican); As You Like It (National Theatre); The Merchant of Venice (RSC); Treasure Island (National Theatre); Krapp’s Last Tape (Sheffield Crucible); Arden of Faversham (Royal Shakespeare Company); Protest Song (The Shed, National Theatre); War Horse (National Theatre/ Theater des Westens, Berlin); A Taste of Honey (Sheffield Crucible); The Country Wife (Royal Exchange, Manchester, 2012); Antigone (National Theatre); Good (Royal Exchange Theatre); The Swan and Nightwatchman (Double Feature – National Theatre, Paintframe); Derren Brown: Svengali (Shaftesbury Theatre/UK Tour); Twisted Tales (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith); Honest (Royal & Derngate and Milnes Bar, Edinburgh); Light Shining in Buckinghamshire and Thyestes (Arcola Theatre, 2010 and 2009 respectively); Eigengrau (Bush Theatre, 2010)
The JMK Award provides the most incredible opportunity for a young director at the beginning of their career. I am very grateful indeed for all the support, advice and encouragement of the Trust, which made directing my production an invaluably useful learning experience – Polly Findlay
Findlay directs with astonishing nimbleness and fluency to produce a gripping, desolate, blood-freezing tragedy – Claire Allfree in METRO
A significant feature of Findlay’s skills is her ability to select a cast, some of them just out of drama school, and make them a cohesive group suggesting long involvement in the murderous feuds of Verona – Jeremy Kingston in The Times
In 2007 the shortlisted directors were Alastair Evans, Harun Morrison, Sophie Fletcher, Michael Oakley, Daniel Goldman, Fiona Morrell and Dan Ayling. All seven received a week of intensive workshops supported by The Ian Ritchie Foundation and using the resources and facilities of BAC. They chose a selection of directors and theatre practitioners who inspired them to run a week of bespoke activities and training to develop their potential. Guest practitioners included Greg Hicks, Sasha Wares, David Farr, James MacDonald, Tom Morris and Edward Hall.
