Directing

Four main, sometimes overlapping strands have emerged in Su’s directing work, although not deliberately – these are rep, pantomime, new writing and work with and for young people.

Rep

Su has directed twenty-five plays in rep seasons, most recently JB Priestley’s I Have Been Here Before at the Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, and has been assistant director on a further three. These include: a season of four thrillers at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, including Gaslight; Five Finger Exercise and The Caretaker at the Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton; and five rep seasons at the Manor Pavilion Theatre in Sidmouth, with several plays by Alan Ayckbourn, and other rep stalwarts like Agatha Christie, Francis Durbridge, Emlyn Williams, Ted Willis, Daphne du Maurier and Frederick Knott, and her personal favourite, JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls.

New Writing

Su directed the world premiere of Moment of Grace by Bren Gosling as part of the Bloomsbury Festival in 2018, and re-directed it in 2022 at the Hope Theatre in Islington, to great critical acclaim, including two Offie nominations and a Standing Ovation Finalist. In 2021, also for Bren Gosling, she directed Invisible Me at Wimbledon Theatre, Studio, and I, Minnie Lansbury at the Bloomsbury Festival. Shas directed three shows at the Brighton Fringe Festival – two plays by Lorraine Mullaney, and an evening of short pieces by three writers with a common theme. She has also directed plays at the Bread & Roses Theatre in Clapham – two children’s shows, plus short plays in evenings of new writing, with pieces by Tessa Hart, Judy Upton, Allie Costa and Elizabeth Rutherford-Johnson. She has directed three plays by Sue Hassall: at the Tabard Theatre at Turnham Green, at the White Bear in Kennington and at the Brockley Jack Theatre. She has also directed plays by Rob Young and John Hill as part of scratch nights at the Tabard Theatre.

Pantomime

Su was Assistant Director on Cinderella at the Lyceum Theatre in Crewe, starring Leah Bracknell, Jemma Keys and Johnny Mac. She has also been Assistant Director on eight pantomimes for schools for Bitesize Theatre Company and was given Aladdin to direct for them. She also directed a pro/am version of Aladdin at the Palace Theatre in Redditch.

Young People

As well as the eight pantomimes mentioned above, Su was also Assistant Director for two other schools shows by Bitesize Theatre Company: Much Ado About Shakespeare and The Tempest. She also directed a show about recycling for them. For Goblin Baby Theatre Company she directed CinderElla and her Smelly Old Slipper and (S)Elfish Christmas. Productions where Su directed young people as performers include the devised Not the Millennium Show at the Artezium Centre in Luton, a Summer Youth Drama Festival at the Palace Theatre in Redditch, a charity production of Sweeney Todd at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth, and ten shows at a summer camp in America.