06 Nov A Sense of Direction – Amy Hodge

Amy Hodge grew up in North London in the 1980s and 1990s, falling in love with theatre through youth groups. She acted a lot as a child, even landing a recurring role in 1998 BBC One drama Berkeley Square, before deciding that professional performance was not for her and studying Asian Politics – “randomly,” she says – at Leeds University instead, where she first started directing shows.

She spent the early 2000s working in community projects, then landed positions as a trainee director at Richmond’s Orange Tree Theatre and as an assistant director at the Young Vic. In-house jobs as a senior reader at the Royal Court and as an associate at the Sherman Theatre, the National Theatre Studio and Headlong followed. She is currently an associate artist at the Roald Dahl Story Company.

Hodge’s recent directing credits include Mother Courage at the Manchester Royal Exchange, Mr Gum And The Dancing Bear at the National Theatre, and Women Beware Women at Shakespeare’s Globe. Her award-winning production of Chris Bush, Miranda Cooper and Jennifer Decilveo’s Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is on tour until mid-March.

How did you become a director?

When I left university, I worked for an organisation called Mouth That Roars, which does amazing work around the world teaching people in disadvantaged areas the skills and mechanisms to produce films. I went to Palestine, Morocco, Greece, and elsewhere.

I did lots of work in lots of different theatres, too. After a while, I wanted to do something a bit more rigorous. I went to the Orange Tree Theatre for a year as a trainee director. That was really useful for me. That is where I learned how to run a rehearsal room. I think it legitimised me a bit, too.

Who or what was the biggest help along the way?

In terms of skills, I did a course with Katie Mitchell, just after her book The Director’s Craft had come out. There was a whole load of people on that course who have gone on to do interesting things. I assisted at the Royal Court for a while, too, and Sacha Wares taught me a lot there. In terms of legitimising me as a director, I think it was working at the Orange Tree and the Young Vic.

What work are you most proud of?

I have different reasons for loving different shows. My favourite moments are when text, movement and music fit beautifully together and communicate something to an audience. There was a beautiful sequence in Mother Courage that I loved. I also loved Mr Gum And The Dancing Bear for its cheekiness, and I am incredibly proud of Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World, too.

What work are you least proud of?

I’m lucky that I have never been in a rehearsal room I didn’t want to be in, but sometimes I think I have compromised too much of my own life in order to work. I remember pumping breastmilk in a cupboard in the Soho Theatre and thinking: ‘This isn’t fun. This isn’t what I want to be doing.’

Who or what is your biggest theatrical influence?

I am influenced by different things on different projects. I love discovering new things like that. All the women in Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World were so inspiring, for example.

I also think my Jewish identity has become more relevant to my work. When you are young, you hide it a bit, but now I have got a bit older, I want to celebrate it a bit more. When I was 25, it would never have been part of my work. Now, I consciously include it more.

Is there a show that you really want to stage?

There is a lot I would love to do, but I am in the process of developing some of it, so I won’t say.

What is your financial situation?

I have always had to earn money to live and that has shaped the choices I have made. I have worked a lot within organisations like the Sherman, the Royal Court, the National Theatre Studio, and the Roald Dahl Story Company. Those jobs mean you have to give up a bit of your headspace to contribute to the development of projects that are not yours, but they offer financial stability.

I don’t think anyone could work purely as a freelance director unless they have private wealth or are in the top one per-cent who get royalties from something they have done in the West End.

What do you enjoy most about directing?

The collaboration. I love being in a room with a group of brilliantly talented people, telling a story with precision and detail.

What are your frustrations with directing?

The time you spend chasing work. You have to accept that that is just part of the job, though. You have to accept that you have to work to work, and that a lot of stuff you beaver away on will never come to fruition.

What fills you with dread about the future of theatre?

It is really hard to be a mum and make it all work as a director. I have got three kids that I have to provide for, and that has shaped a lot of the choices I have made. There are a lot of female directors who disappear when they get into their thirties and realise how hard the logistics of having a family and having a career are. It is depressing. There has been a lot of progress, but we have to keep talking about it. Otherwise theatre will become a place for middle-class white boys again, and we have to avoid that at all costs.

What gives you hope for the future of theatre?

I think the positives are just the flipside of the negatives. There is a recognition of the importance of under-represented voices in our industry and a genuine desire to change that. I hope that continues.

What are you working on at the moment?

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is on tour until March. I’m really proud of it. I am also developing a few projects that I can’t talk about yet, including a few screen projects. I directed several short films with Headlong and The Guardian a few years ago, and I directed a short film called The Date that was at the London Film Festival recently. I’m excited to explore the storytelling craft of film more.

ENDS

Fergus Morgan is SDUKs resident blogger.