Biography
Sophie is a freelance theatre director. Her interests include international writing and she is passionate about diversity. She was on attachment at The Old Vic Theatre as an Old Vic 12 Director in 2018. Through her attachment she developed a new play written by Omar El-Khairy. She has also worked at the Old Vic as Associate Director to Adrian Lester on The Greatest Wealth, a series of monologues celebrating 70 years of the NHS, curated by Lolita Chakrabarti. Prior to beginning her directing career she trained on Mountview Academy’s Theatre Directing MA after studying Philosophy at Southampton University. Most recently she has directed audio pilot The Falling for Audible, and has worked as staff director at The National Theatre on The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Visit.
Through her commitment to diverse new work, she directed Black Theatre Live’s national tour of a new play The Diary of a Hounslow Girl by Ambreen Razia (commissioned and supported by Ovalhouse). The show was nominated for Best Stage Production at The Asian Media Awards 2016. Following its success the production re-toured with House Theatre and was performed at Southbank Centre.
Sophie’s Directing Timeline can be found here.
Directing credits include: POT by Ambreen Razia (National Tour, supported by Ovalhouse and Stratford Circus), The Diary of a Hounslow Girl by Ambreen Razia (Ovalhouse, Black Theatre Live National Tour, House Theatre National Tour & Southbank Centre), Midsummer Roman Feast (as writer and director) (The RSC: The Dell/Avonbank Gardens), dirty butterfly by debbie tucker green (Co-director, Guildhall), Women Beware Women/’Tis Pity She’s a Whore (LAMDA), Wild East by April De Angelis (Drama Centre), The Five Stages of Waiting by Caro Dixey (Tristan Bates Theatre), Fucking Outside the Box by Jessica Burgess (VAULT Festival: The Vaults), Indian Summer by Lucy Maurice (White Bear Theatre), Creditors by August Strindberg (in a version by David Greig) (Cockpit Theatre), The Star-Spangled Girl by Neil Simon (Karamel Club), Purgatorio by Ariel Dorfman (Karamel Club), Zero Degrees (devised) (The Annex Theatre) and The Lark by Jean Anouilh (in a bilingual version using translation by Christopher Fry) (Cockpit Theatre). Short Plays: She has directed new shorts for The Young Vic (Noah by Amir Nizar Zuabi), Vertical Line at Greenwich Theatre, Writer’s Avenue at Soho Theatre, Heavy Weather at Park Theatre, Writer’s Bloc at Charring Cross Theatre, Off Cut Festival at Riverside Studios, Breaking 30 at Worlds End Studios and for Rapid Write Response at Theatre 503. For audio she has directed The Diary of a Hounslow Girl (Audible) and The Falling (Audible).
As Associate Director: The Greatest Wealth directed by Adrian Lester (Old Vic).
As Staff Director: The Ocean at the end of the Lane directed by Katy Rudd (National Theatre: The Dorfman) and The Visit directed by Jeremy Herrin (National Theatre: The Olivier).
As Assistant Director: The Winter’s Tale directed by Justin Audibert (National Theatre: Schools Tour and The Dorfman), Yerma* directed by Simon Stone (Young Vic & NT Live), B directed by Sam Pritchard (The Royal Court), Myth directed (and co-written by) Kirsty Housley (The RSC (TOP), Creditors directed by Rikki Henry (Young Vic) and The Rise and Shine of Comrade Fiasco directed by Elayce Ismail (The Gate). (*Jerwood Assistant Director supported by The Jerwood Charitable Foundation).
As a Freelance Dramaturge: Hush by Moon Mission in association with Patch of Blue (Gilded Balloon), Super Hero Snail Boy by Vertical Line in association with Greenwich Theatre (Bedlam Theatre), Skint by Rosie Kellett (VAULT Festival) and Naked by Jessica Burgess (VAULT Festival). She has also run a development workshop at the National Theatre Studio on Megaball by Sonali Bhattacharyya.
I am driven to make theatre that dislodges us from our preconceptions about the world, that inspires conversation and that reminds us that we are larger than the individual story that we are living. I find curiosity and play to be powerful forces in a rehearsal process. I strive to establish the conditions for discovery. A collaborative ethos is at the heart of my process.
