Emma Callander next Traverse Associate Director
Theatre Uncut’s co-artistic director to take over from Hamish Pirie
Emma Callander directed Gary Beadle in Banksy: The Room in the Elephant.
By Thom Dibdin
Emma Callander, the freelance director and co-artistic director of Theatre Uncut, has been announced as the next Associate Director at the Traverse theatre.
She will join the company in December making an overlapping period of three months with the current associate director Hamish Pirie, who will be leaving the company when his contract finishes in March.
Commenting on the appointment, Traverse Artistic Director Orla O’Loughlin: “Emma is a unique talent in UK theatre and I’m delighted to welcome her to the Traverse team. Her work for Theatre Uncut has earned the company a world-class reputation for groundbreaking new work, credentials that make her a perfect match for this vital role.”
Callander was a resident at the National Theatre of Scotland 2009/10 through the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme. She has developed and directed a number of plays for a Play, a Pie and a Pint in Glasgow including Dalgety by David Greig and Supply by Cathy Forde and has directed new plays for the Bristol Old Vic and Tobacco Factory Theatre.
Her most recent production Banksy: The Room In the Elephant by Tom Wainwright was a sell out at the fringe. It will play at the Arcola in London then tour nationally in Spring 2014.
The appointment comes as Orla O’Loughlin plans to take maternity leave from December. Æ understands that O’Loughlin has already scheduled much of the programming for next year’s spring season and through to the fringe. Callander and Pirie will facilitate the implementation of that programme.
Theatre Uncut was formed by Emma Callander and Hannah Price as a theatrical response to the cuts in public spending that were being outlined by the UK coalition government in October 2010. They ask leading playwrights to respond to the current political situation by writing short plays. These are then made available for anyone to perform anywhere rights free for a limited period.
This autumn’s Theatre Uncut theme is “Do we get more right wing in hard times?”. The Edinburgh events include performances from six theatre groups on November 15 at Summerhall, featuring work by Davey Anderson, Kieran Hurley, Tim Price and others.
ENDS
