Amy Hailwood

Theatre director and facilitator with theatre-for-social-change expertise, Manchester-based (she/her)

Amy creates dynamic, moving and richly textured, contemporary theatre for social change.

A quality of hybridity is fundamental to her perspective and practice, which crosses conventional boundaries of professional and community theatre to enrich both. This ability to see things from multiple points of view at once, stems from the key life experience of being raised in various places outside of the UK.

Amy is highly versatile and has directed a range of work, including youth and community casts of fifteen to twenty people, new writing, devised, physical and immersive theatre, as well as assisting on several main house shows.

Amy has extensive experience of facilitating theatre workshops with children, young people and older adults, as well as various marginalised groups. She has worked with the Octagon Theatre Bolton, Streetwise Opera, Collective Encounters and many others in this capacity. She is also Artistic Director of theatre-for-social-change company Ordinary Glory.

Running through the varied subject, form and scale of Amy’s work, is a desire to relate to audiences and participants as citizens not consumers, and an invitation to enter into risky conversations within a safe, playful space. She likes to think of this as the theatre of hospitality and encounter, and everyone is invited to the party!

Credits

DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR, Escape from the Past, David Glass/Teleport, 2 day immersive event, 2022
DIRECTOR, Twist Again, English Touring Theatre, 1 day rehearsed reading, 2022
DIRECTOR, XYV for Vignettes, Hope Mill Theatre, 2 weeks, 2021
DIRECTOR, Who rules the world? Girls, ADP at Kings Arms Salford for GM Fringe, 1 show, 2018
DIRECTOR, After Birth, Co:LAB, Royal Exchange Theatre, 3 shows, 2018
DIRECTOR, If Wishes Were Horses, ADP at Kings Arms Salford, 1 show, 2018
DIRECTOR, Come Closer: Memories of Partition, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 1 week, 2017
DIRECTOR, Joy Unspeakable REVEAL Season, Octagon Theatre Bolton, 3 shows, 2016
DIRECTOR, Faraway, So Close The Old Fire Station Theatre, Oxford, 3 shows, 2014

DIRECTOR YOUTH / COMMUNITY THEATRE

DIRECTOR, Remote by Stef Smith for NT Connections, Octagon Theatre Bolton & Lowry, 3 shows, 2022
DIRECTOR, Will Yo’ Come O’ Sunday Mornin’?, Octagon Theatre Bolton, 1 show, 2021
DIRECTOR, The Fabric of Bolton, Octagon Theatre Bolton, short film, 2021
DIRECTOR, Finding Hope & Decision Dilemma, Collective Encounters, radio shorts, 2020
DIRECTOR, When This is Over, Octagon Theatre Bolton/Company Three, 1 show, 2020
DIRECTOR, Alice in Wonderland v Bertold Brecht, Octagon Theatre Bolton, 1 digital show, 2020
DIRECTOR, Coronavirus Time Capsule, Octagon Theatre Bolton/Company Three, short film, 2020
DIRECTOR, The Present, Octagon Theatre Bolton, 1 week care home tour, 2019
DIRECTOR, Tales from the High Seas, Octagon Theatre Bolton, 1 show, 2019
DIRECTOR, The Bolton Chronicles, Octagon Theatre Bolton, 1 show, 2019
DIRECTOR, Brainstorm (selected scenes), Octagon Theatre Bolton, 1 show, 2019
DIRECTOR, Shop Window, Octagon Theatre Bolton, 1 show, 2018

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, Parliament Square, Royal Exchange Theatre, M'cr and Bush Theatre, 3 weeks, 2017
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, Christmas Carol, The Octagon Theatre, Bolton, 6 weeks, 2017

Training

DIRECTING / THEATREMAKING
2021 Alchemy of the Extraordinary: Devising Intensive (David Glass Ensemble and JEUDi)
2021 NT Connections Director’s Weekend (National Theatre)
2020 Verbatim Theatre with Emily Aboud (Lagahoo Theatre)
2020 Collaborating with a Designer with Jeff James (JMK)
2020 Starting to Cast: How to assemble a company with Tristan Fynn Aiduenu (JMK)
2019 Movement Workshop: LABAN, Choreology & Theatre with Jenni Jackson (Royal Exchange)
2019 Creative Aging: Excellence in Participatory Arts with Older People (Collective Encounters)
2018 Stage Combat with Kenan Ali (Royal Exchange)
2018 Directing Through Song with Kerry Michael (SDUK)
2018 Rediscovering the Radical: Theatre for Social Change (Collective Encounters)
2017 Snapshot two-day placement in Taking Part (Young Vic)
2017 JMK Residency: the Director and the Writer (HOME)
2017 Making Theatre for/with Young People with Andy Barry and Matt Hassall (Royal Exchange)
2017 Creative Insights with Max Webster, Gbolahan Obisesan, Jonathan O'Boyle and Caroline Steinbeis (The Young Vic)
2017 Making Your Work Accessible with Amit Sharma of Graeae (Royal Exchange)
2016/7 Northern Theatre Lab (Animikii Theatre)
2016 Devising: Working Fast and Dirty (Rachel Mars, Royal Exchange)
2016 Observer Mondays Director: A Streetcar Named Desire with Sarah Frankcom (Royal Exchange)
2016 The Storytelling Body Master Class with co-director Nir Paldi (Theatre Ad Infinitum)
2016 Adapting The Encounter with co-director Kirsty Housley (Complicité)
2016 New Writing (Box of Tricks, HOME)
2015 Directors Weekend, with tutors Richard Finch and Emma Gersch (Mountview)
2013-14 One Year Apprenticeship: Directing Physical Theatre (Point Zero Physical Theatre)
2014 Joker Masterclass with Adrian Jackson (Cardboard Citizens)
2013 Directing Text, with tutor Anthony Clark (East 15)
2013 Six Month Individual Development Programme: Performance (Core Theatre Lab)
2011-12 One-year Intro to Acting and Theatre Skills (Point Zero Physical Theatre/Core Theatre Lab)
2010 Comedy and Conflict (Conflict Relief)
2010 Introduction to Forum Theatre (Cardboard Citizens)

WRITING
2019/20 John Retallack Playwriting Course: Year 2 (Monthly course based in Oxford)
2018/19 John Retallack Playwriting Course: Year 1 (Weekly course based in Oxford)
2015 Playwriting, with tutors David Eldridge and Suhayla el-Bushra (Arvon Foundation)

PRODUCING
2018/19 Class of 2019 Producer Training (The Lowry)
2018 Tax for Theatre Freelancers (Royal Exchange)
2018 Taking a show to Edinburgh with Zoe Roberts of Kill the Beast (The Lowry)
2016 The Lions Experience Social Enterprise Training (The Lions, Coventry)
2016 How to Book a Tour with Mark Makin (Makin Productions, The Lowry)
2016 Company Formation and Charitable Status with Charlotte Jones (ITC, The Lowry)
2014 Nuts and Bolts of Starting a Performing Arts Company (ITC)