ABOUT CHRIS

Thank you for visiting my website - I appreciate it!

A bit of info about me...

During the first 20 years of my career I lived out of a suitcase, working as a director, project facilitator and acting coach for many major producing theatres and drama schools across the UK. I’m now settled in Shotley Bridge, County Durham, in a home that I share with my wife Marie-Louise and our two little lads Jack and Benji. I love County Durham, and my formative experiences growing up here (Bishop Auckland, specifically) deeply inspire my values and the work that I make. When not working, or looking after the boys, I’ll be messing about in our music room, or pottering around in the garden in my wellies. 

I’ve directed theatre productions for The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, for Northern Stage Newcastle, and for Live Theatre Newcastle, for Sheffield Theatres, for the Everyman and Playhouse Theatres in Liverpool and for the Unity Theatre, also in Liverpool. Earlier in my career, I worked as Assistant Director to Ian Rickson, Max Stafford-Clark, Sarah Frankcom, Greg Herzov, Neil Bartlett, Matthew Dunster, Josette Bushell-Mingo and Jonathan Munby: directors who see enabling the art of actors as the director’s primary role within a rehearsal experience. My training: in 2006 I was a recipient of the Regional Theatre Young Directors’ Scheme, and in 2009-10 I developed an Arts Council England funded artistic leadership training programme, in which I was jointly mentored by the artistic leadership team of both The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, and the Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Liverpool. A little earlier, I trained within the National Theatre Studio Directors' Programme. For more detail, here’s my CV.

I’m passionate about developing and facilitating creative learning projects that foster inter-generational co-creativity and, equally, that nurture the vocational aspirations of actors and makers from backgrounds currently under-represented within the industry. I’m also a bit of a technology geek. Since 2012 all of my practice has utilised e-technologies in original ways to deepen and enrich creative collaboration processes and to facilitate multi-platform audience experiences.

Clicking the images below will take you to four projects that offer you the best snapshots of this practice:

Since 2005, I’ve taught and directed extensively for East 15 Acting School and from 2015 - 2019 I was a permanent member of the school’s teaching and directing staff. East 15 students and staff describe the learning experiences that I facilitated HERE. In 2021 I enriched and extended my teaching practice through PGCE training and, since relocating to County Durham, I’ve designed and delivered accesible and transformative learning experiences for FE and HE level learners throughout the North East.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my website. Get in touch to kick start an idea, or just have a natter about drama-making and stuff: chris@chrismeads.com