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Headlong

Headlong: /hedl'ong/ noun 1. with head first, 2. starting boldly, 3. to approach with speed and vigour

Headlong Theatre is dedicated to new ways of making theatre. By exploring revolutionary writers and practitioners of the past and commissioning new work from artists from a wide variety of backgrounds we aim constantly to push the imaginative boundaries of the stage. Headlong makes exhilarating, provocative and spectacular new work to take around the country and around the world.

Staff

Artistic Director Rupert Goold

Rupert Goold is Artistic Director of Headlong Theatre and an Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Productions for Headlong include Earthquakes in London, ENRON (2009 Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director), King Lear, Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Rough Crossings, Faustus, Restoration and Paradise Lost.

His work as a freelance director includes The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet (RSC), Time and the Conways (National), Oliver! (West End), No Man's Land (Gate Theatre, Dublin/West End - Irish Times Award Best Director), The Glass Menagerie with Jessica Lange (West End); the world premiere of Speaking Like Magpies, a new play by Frank McGuinness, for the RSC; and a national and international tour of Scaramouche Jones with Pete Postlethwaite. In August 2006 he directed The Tempest with Patrick Stewart as Prospero for the RSC. Rupert's Macbeth, with Patrick Stewart, transferred from Chichester Festival Theatre to the West End in 2007, then to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York and finally to Broadway, finishing in May 2008. He was awarded the 2007 Evening Standard, Critics’ Circle and Olivier Awards for Best Director and the film based on the production was broadcast on the BBC in December 2010.

Rupert's opera work includes Turandot (ENO), Le Comte Ory (Garsington Opera) and L'Opera Seria, Gli Equivoci and Il Pomo D'Oro (Batignano).

From 2002-5 Rupert was Artistic Director of the Royal and Derngate Theatres in Northampton where productions included Hamlet, Othello, Waiting for Godot, Insignificance, The Weir, Betrayal, Arcadia and Summer Lightning. He was Associate Artist at Salisbury Playhouse from 1996-97 during its reopening under Jonathan Church where he directed The End of the Affair, Dancing at Lughnasa and the national tour of Travels With My Aunt. He was a Trainee Director under Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse 1995-96.

Executive Producer Henny Finch

Henny's first job was at the Almeida Theatre under the Artistic Directorship of Jonathan Kent and Ian McDiarmid. Following a period working for theatrical agency London Management, she worked for West End production and general management company Act Productions from 2000-2005, where projects included Anything Goes (Theatre Royal Drury Lane, directed by Trevor Nunn); Don Carlos (Gielgud, directed by Michael Grandage); The Price (Apollo/tour, directed by Sean Holmes); Humble Boy (Gielgud/tour, directed by John Caird) and many other plays and musicals on tour, in the West End and internationally. In 2005 she joined Oxford Stage Company as Executive Producer and alongside Rupert Goold re-named and re-structured the company, which became Headlong Theatre in 2006. She is a trustee of Angle Theatre, artsdepot and Trestle Theatre and Arts Base.

Executive Producer (Maternity Cover) Jenni Kershaw

Before joining Headlong in 2006 Jenni was Administrator for London based new writing company ATC for 3 years, touring new work throughout the UK, including One Minute and Country Music by British writer Simon Stephens and A Brief History of Helen of Troy by US playwright Mark Schultz. Previous to this, Jenni graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London in 2002 with an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy after completing a BA in English Literature and Religious Studies in 2001. Outside of work, Jenni is Producer for site specific theatre company InSite and is currently working on their next production written by Samuel Adamson.

Associate Director Robert Icke

Robert founded the Arden Theatre Company in 2003, and over five years as Artistic Director directed nine productions for the company: Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, An Inspector Calls, Hughie, The Zoo Story, Richard III, and Journey's End.

His other directing work includes Catalysta by Allister Bain (Oval House), The Alchemist by Ben Jonson, Motortown by Simon Stephens, Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing (Swan Theatre Company), Oklahoma! (Cambridge Arts Theatre), The Pirates of Penzance, and Coat by Rory Mullarkey (Edinburgh Fringe).

Robert sat on the centenary committee of the Marlowe Society, and has also been awarded the Susie Gautier-Smith prize for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre. He has also undertaken extensive work as an assistant and associate director, and regularly teaches acting and lectures on theatre.

Finance Manager Julie Renwick

Julie began her career in Arts Administration at the Customs House, South Shields. As Administrator she saw the organisation grow from a team of 3 people and a derelict building into a thriving arts centre. She later joined Box Clever Theatre Company as Administrative Director. Between 2002-2004, Julie worked in a freelance capacity, retaining the financial brief for Box Clever Theatre Company and acting as Administrator to The Samling Foundation, a charity dedicated to nurturing and offering opportunities to performing and visual artists. There followed 2 years as Finance Director of Arc, Stockton's arts centre, seeing the company emerge from the ACE recovery programme to become a financially successful organisation.

Julie currently splits her time between Box Clever Theatre Company and Headlong Theatre - holding the position of part-time Finance Manager at both organisations.

Assistant Producer Lindsey Alvis

Lindsey graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2006 with a BA (Hons) in Drama and Sociology. She moved from Manchester to London in 2007 to follow her dream of working in theatre and began by completing an internship at the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill. Lindsey joined Headlong as part-time Administrative Assistant 2007, was promoted to full-time Administrator in 2009 before becoming the company’s Assistant Producer in 2011. Outside of work she is also working towards an MA in Culture, Policy and Management from City University.

Assistant Producer Louisa Norman

Before joining Headlong in April 2011, Louisa worked as General Manager at Clean Break, a new writing company working with women in the criminal justice system. There she produced & assistant produced shows at Soho Theatre, Lift and Arcola and in women’s prisons across the UK.

Previously Louisa worked for Ladder to the Moon, creating interactive theatre residencies in hospitals and site specific community performances, and at the Sala Beckett theatre in Barcelona. She has also taught English & Drama in the Middle East, and was a recipient of the Rupert Rhymes bursary in 2009 which she used to tour productions to refugee camps in the West Bank. She currently volunteers for Stellar Network, a cross-platform arts organisation creating events for professionals in theatre, film, tv and digital media industries and reviews theatre for Offwestend.com.

Associate Artist Jamie Lloyd

For Headlong: Salome (Hampstead Theatre/UK tour).

For the Donmar: Polar Bears, Piaf (also Vaudeville/Teatro Liceo, Buenos Aires/Nuevo Teatro Alcala, Madrid – Olivier nomination for Best Musical Revival and, in Argentina, ADEET Award for Best Production and Clarin Award for Best Musical Production) and the forthcoming Passion, plus staged readings of A House Not Meant to Stand and The Cocktail Party.

Other credits include: The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick); Three Days of Rain (Apollo – Olivier nomination for Best Revival, Whatsonstage Awards nomination for Best Revival); The Pride (Royal Court – Olivier award for Outstanding Achievement); Eric’s (Liverpool Everyman); The Lover and The Collection (Comedy); The Caretaker (Sheffield Crucible/Tricycle).

Jamie is an Associate Director of the Donmar.

Press

For any press enquiries, please contact Headlong's press agent, Clióna Roberts on 07754 75 65 04 / cliona@crpr.co.uk.

Board

Samuel Adamson, Gemma Bodinetz, Sean Egan, Sarah Hunt, Paterson Joseph, Caroline Maude, Robin Paxton (Chair), Vik Sivalingam
Wendy Spon, Emma Stenning, Colin Tweedy.

Job Vacancies

There are currently no vacant positions at Headlong.

FAQs

How do you cast your productions?
Headlong Theatre uses a different Casting Director for each project. Unfortunately we cannot accept unsolicited CVs.

Where are you touring to next?
For up to date information on where our productions are touring to, please see individual show pages by clicking here.

Where can I buy the script for your productions?
We publish a programme playtext for most productions. This is sold in each theatre we visit but can also be bought or ordered from a bookshop. Please see the individual show page for further details of publishers.

Where is the company based?
Headlong Theatre is based on Berwick Street in Soho, central London.

Do you accept new plays?
Unfortunately we do not have the facilities to accept unsolicited scripts. We advise you to contact theatres/companies that have Literary Departments such as the Royal Court Theatre or Soho Theatre.

How can I support Headlong Theatre?
Headlong Theatre has a patrons scheme where you can become more involved with the development of the company. For further information click here.

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