Josie Rourke
Josie Rourke (born 3 September 1976) is a British theatre director and, since 2012, Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre in London.
Early life
She attended St Patrick's RC High School in Eccles, Salford, and read English Literature at Cambridge University.[1]
Early career
Her first notable work was as assistant director to Peter Gill in his premiere of The York Realist in 2002. From 2002 to 2007 she worked as a freelance director, with her work including the 2002-03 Crazyblackmuthafuckin'self by DeObia Oparei at the Royal Court Theatre, and 2006 RSC productions of Believe What You Will and King John (the latter starring Joseph Millson as 'the bastard' and Richard McCabe as 'King John').[2] During that period she also worked as the Associate Director of Sheffield Theatres and Trainee Associate Director at the Royal Court.
Bush Theatre
In 2007, Rourke was appointed Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre in West London.[3] There she directed many plays including Nick Payne's If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, as well as overseeing the theatre's move to new premises.
In 2008, Rourke directed a production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, starring Michelle Beck, Mark Montgomery, and Karen Aldridge.
In 2011, Rourke directed a production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing at Wyndham's Theatre, starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate. The production ran from 16 May to 3 September.[4]
Donmar Theatre
In March 2011, it was announced that Rourke would take over from Michael Grandage as director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre in January 2012. In the Donmar's 2012 season, Rourke directed the first production, The Recruiting Officer, as well as Friedrich Duerrenmatt's The Physicists and Jean Racine's Bérénice.
Theatre productions directed
Play | Author | Theatre | Opening date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coriolanus | William Shakespeare | Donmar Warehouse | 6 December 2013 | |
The Machine | Matt Charman | Manchester International Festival | July 4, 2013 | [5] |
The Weir | Conor McPherson | Donmar Warehouse | April 18, 2013 | [6][7] |
Berenice | Jean Racine, in a new version by Alan Hollinghurst | Donmar Warehouse | September 27, 2012 | [6][8] |
The Physicists | Friedrich Dürrenmatt, in a new version by Jack Thorne | Donmar Warehouse | May 31, 2012 | [6][9] |
The Recruiting Officer | George Farquhar | Donmar Warehouse | February 9, 2012 | [6][10] |
Sixty-Six Books | various | Bush Theatre | October 10, 2011 | [6][11] |
Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | Wyndham's Theatre | June 1, 2011 | [12][6][13] |
The 24 Hour Plays | Old Vic Theatre | November 21, 2010 | [13] | |
Men Should Weep | Ena Lamont Stewart | National Theatre | October 18, 2010 | [12][6][13] |
Here | Eve Ensler | Riverside Studios | July 1, 2010 | Broadcast live on British television in conjunction with Sky Arts[6][14][15] |
...like a fishbone... | Anthony Weigh | Bush Theatre | June 7, 2010 | [12][6][14] |
The Taming Of The Shrew | William Shakespeare | Chicago Shakespeare Theater | April 7, 2010 | The production included new scenes written by dramatist Neil LaBute[12][6][13][16] |
If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet | Nick Payne | Bush Theatre | October 17, 2009 | [6][17] |
Apologia | Alexi Kaye Campbell | Bush Theatre | June 17, 2009 | [12][6][18] |
Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | Chicago Shakespeare Theater | March 29, 2009 | [12][6][13] |
2,000 Feet Away | Anthony Weigh | Bush Theatre | June 11, 2008 | [12][6][19] |
Tinderbox | Lucy Kirkwood | Bush Theatre | April 23, 2008 | [12][6][20] |
How To Curse | Ian McHugh | Bush Theatre | October 10, 2007 | [12][6][21] |
A Year and a Day | Christina Reid | Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough | November 17, 2006 | Part of National Theatre Connections[13] |
The Cryptogram | David Mamet | Donmar Warehouse | October 12, 2006 | [12][6][13] |
The Life and Death of King John | William Shakespeare | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | July 27, 2006 | [12][6][13] |
Flight without End | Joseph Roth, adapted by Steve Waters | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art | May 1, 2006 | [22] |
The Long And The Short And The Tall | Willis Hall | Lyceum Theatre (Sheffield) | February 23, 2006 | [12][6][22] |
Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | September 21, 2005 | [12][22] |
Believe What You Will | Philip Massinger | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | May 18, 2005 | Later the People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne and Trafalgar Studios, London[12][6][22][23] |
The Unthinkable | Steve Waters | Crucible Studio Theatre, Sheffield | October 26, 2004 | [12][6][24] |
Butterfly Fingers | Fraser Grace | The Junction Theatre, Cambridge | July 1, 2004 | [22] |
Changed So Much I Don't Know You | Steve Waters | The Junction Theatre, Cambridge | July 1, 2004 | [22] |
Dead Hand | Anthony Neilson | Old Vic Theatre | June 6, 2004 | Part of The 24 Hour Plays[22] |
My Dad's A Birdman | David Almond | Young Vic | December 4, 2003 | [12][6][22] |
Crazyblackmuthfuckin'self | DeObia Oparei | Royal Court Theatre | November 29, 2003 | [12][6][25] |
Loyal Women | Gary Mitchell | Royal Court Theatre | November 11, 2003 | [26][22][12][6] |
The Herd | Sandesh Kulkarni | Royal Court Theatre | August 1, 2003 | [26] |
World Music | Steve Waters | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | May 28, 2003 | Later Donmar Warehouse[12][26][6] |
Children's Day | Marvin Blair | Royal Court Theatre | February 27, 2003 | This piece was written by Marvin Blair in 2003, whilst serving a life sentence in prison in the UK. It was developed during Voices From Within, a writing project at HM Prison Grendon in conjunction with the Royal Court Young Writers Programme. It is a 15-minute monologue, and played after the evening's performance of Iron, by Rona Munro in the Jerwood Theatre downstairs at the Royal Court.[26] |
The Vagina Monologues | Eve Ensler | UK tour | 2003 | UK tour director, 2003 tour[12][22] |
Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare | Liverpool Playhouse | October 3, 2002 | [26] |
Kick For Touch | Peter Gill | Crucible Studio Theatre, Sheffield | May 23, 2002 | [26][12][6] |
Frame 312 | Keith Reddin | Donmar Warehouse | March 14, 2002 | World premiere.[26][12][6] |
The Wrong Side of the Rainbow | Donmar Warehouse | January 28, 2001 | A dramatic piece based on a Carlton TV television show of the same name. Stories from the streets about London's homeless were dramatised for the stage[26] | |
Orpheus Descending | Tennessee Williams | Donmar Warehouse | June 27, 2000 | [27] |
Passion Play | Peter Nichols | Donmar Warehouse | April 18, 2000 | [27] |
References
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/apr/21/josie-rourke-donmar-artistic-director-interview
- ↑ King John by William Shakespeare, 2006; http://www.rsc.org.uk/newsandevents/events/2201.aspx (accessed 27 February 2008)
- ↑ Josie Rourke appointed Bush Theatre artistic director; http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/16181 (accessed 27 February 2008)
- ↑ "David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing at Wyndham's from 16 May 2011", LondonTheatre.co.uk, 8 Jan 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
- ↑ "The Machine". Manchester International Festival. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 "Josie Rourke - Biography". Donmar Warehouse. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ↑ "The Weir". Donmar Warehouse. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ↑ "Berenice". Donmar Warehouse. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ↑ "The Physicists". Donmar Warehouse. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ↑ "The Recruiting Officer". Donmar Warehouse. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ↑ "Sixty-Six Books". Bush Theatre. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 12.21 "Josie Rourke". Bush Theatre. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 "gb71-thm/342 - Josie Rourke Collection". Archives Hub. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "gb71-thm/342 - Josie Rourke Collection". Archives Hub. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ↑ Theo Bosanquet (19 April 2010). "Sky Arts Premieres Five More Plays from June". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ↑ "The Taming of the Shrew". Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ↑ 'T_FOUND_IT_YET/ "If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet". Bush Theatre. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ "Apologia". Bush Theatre. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ "2,000 Feet Away". Bush Theatre. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ "Tinderbox". Bush Theatre. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ "How To Curse". Bush Theatre. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.8 22.9 "gb71-thm/342 - Josie Rourke Collection". Archives Hub. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ↑ "Annual Report and Accounts". Royal Shakespeare Company. 17 November 2006. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ↑ John Highfield (1 November 2004). "The Unthinkable". The Stage. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ "Crazyblackmuthaf***In'self at The Royal Court Theatre". The Royal Court Theatre. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.7 "gb71-thm/342 - Josie Rourke Collection". Archives Hub. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 "gb71-thm/342 - Josie Rourke Collection". Archives Hub. Retrieved 4 July 2013.