Impeccable direction...keeps us effortlessly fascinated for two hours. What's On, London

Imaginative direction by Andrea Montgomery is superlative.
The Stage 

Seductively sure, so subtle that we never stop delighting in the flamboyant mastery of emotions... You'd be a fool to miss this.
Time Out Magazine, London

As an experienced director, I've worked outdoors, in site-specific locations, on very physical projects, on new writing, translations, musicals and classical scripts. I love language, from Elizabethan texts to languages other than English. I speak and direct in French.

I grew up in Asia and Switzerland, and now live in three places: Northern Ireland, London and Ottawa; I enjoy directing internationally, and am comfortable working through translators.

Directing History

 

CAROL'S CHRISTMAS Dec 2011 - a new play - a retro Christmas comedy by Nuala McKeever written for the Theatre at the Mill with Caroline Curran,  Dermott Hickson, Nuala McKeever and Karl O'Neill. 

The characterisation, physical action, and of course sauciness were top quality...very satisfying...a total Christmas cracker...a slightly satirical, feel-good Christmas show that's definitely worth checking out.  Belfast Telegraph.

THE KING AND I Oct 2011 - the first professional production in Northern Ireland, for the Theatre at the Mill. Featured a multicultural cast from the UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, China and Jamaica.

Andrea Montgomery crafts effective theatre... songs are instantly recognisable, and all the singers impress... the choreography is at its most elaborate in the Uncle Thomas segment, but equally effective when the myriad of the King's children are introduced...we found ourselves whistling a happy tune on our way home... Cultureni.

BELONGINGS May 2011 - a new play by Nuala McKeever.

confrontational...deeply touching but more often than not laugh-out-loud funny.  Five Stars.      The Belfast Telegraph.

ALL AT ONCE I SAW A CROWD May 2010 - second devising workshop for this English-Cantonese theatre project featuring film, animation, puppetry and original sound.  Held in Belfast with participants from Hong Kong, Macau, Germany, England, the US, Canada and Northern Ireland. 

SWEENEY TODD Jan 2010 - the Northern Ireland premiere of Sondheim's musical, starring Peter Corry and Nuala McKeever, this production opened the new 450-seat "Theatre at the Mill", Newtownabbey. 

Excellent...spirited...Sweeney Todd is a dark parable, deftly told...Director Andrea Montgomery strikes exactly the right note. The Newsletter

...at once compellingly psychopathic and nauseatingly sinister...this is a production alive to the contemporary resonance of Sweeney Todd’s worldview. In lesser hands such action could descend into farce... here the strange note of gothic allegory is wonderfully preserved. Cultureni.

SIRENS Dec 2009 - a short London run of a new three-hander by Stephanie Young.

JARED DIAMOND PROJECT Nov 2009 - the first development workshop of the planned theatre and animation project in English and Cantonese. Held in London, with participants from Hong Kong, London and Belfast.

TRANSITIONS June 2009.  With Chad Leslie, I directed a new devised bilingual English/Cantonese production in Macau.

During 2009, I ran directing workshops in Tehran, Paris, the South of France, and throughout Northern Ireland.

YOUNG CREATIVE VOICES Aug 2008. Chad Leslie and I co-directed and lead devising on this work in progress production in Macau.

DATE WITH DILLON Feb 2008.  Idlewilde London. An original two-hander, bitter sweet comedy about a disasterous love affair with an Irish rock drummer, featuring live music and torch songs.

IT'S NOT ALL RAIN & POTATOES 2007. A comedy three-hander, which I co-wrote with Nuala McKeever and Anthony Toner, then produced and directed. Developed with the international market in mind, it features live music and sketch comedy all about Ireland.  Sold out the second half of its run at the Baby Grand, Belfast, as well  as Antrim and Portstewart.

Hilarious, a real crowd-pleaser... refreshing, fast-paced and absolutely entertaining. Cultureni.

THE THREE QUESTIONS 2007. Adapted by Terence Sin from the Russian.  I directed this fairy tale production with a cast of 30+ young people from the district of Tin Shui Wai in Hong Kong.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and FEMALE TRANSPORT 2007. Two plays for the Foyle Arts Centre, London/Derry. Simultaneous staging of two plays with the second year drama students at the Unversity of Ulster, Magee.

OUT OF THE BOX 2005 & 2006: An original one-woman show, in which TV comedienne Nuala McKeever was directed to use clown and puppetry manipulation of everyday objects. Sell-out success at Belfast Festival 05, Riverside Theatre and Lyric Belfast spring 06, NI tour in autumn 06, chosen to open the Belfast Grand Opera House Baby Grand in December 06.

A fantastic new show... a one woman wonder...it's hard not to be moved by it. The Buzz

An engaging account of the relationship mindfield... hit the bull's eye... a masterly exercise in fictional biography majoring in the desperate humour of those looking on the bright side of life.  The Coleraine Chronicle.

THE DAYDREAM 1995 & 2005: An original script, commissioned, script-edited and directed in a semi-staged reading in 2005, staged at the Bath Theatre Royal Studio in 2007. 

THE NATIVITY 2004/2005: An original script for a cast of 66 in which the Christmas story was conceived as a 1940s American film, with reference to It’s a Wonderful Life and the film of The Waltons, featuring original music based on period swing, staged using all the levels of the Riverside Theatre, including a live parachute drop from the theatre grid.

RUM AND VODKA 2004: A physical theatre revisiting of the one-man play by Conor McPherson, featuring a live performance juxtaposed against video, starring Gerard Jordan, in a co-production for Riverside Theatre and the Everyman Palace, Cork.

...exhibited a precision and attention to the moment which clearly demarcated the shifts in tempo, tone and content of the story.  ...met the challenge of a variety of physical demands, quickly switching from naturalism to more expressionist physicalisation... inhabited the whole space, with the stage animated both by Gerard Jordan's performance and the inventive use of lighting effects.  Irish Theatre Magazine.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL 2003/2004: An original script co-written with composer Lisa Westerhout for the Riverside Theatre, based on Dickens’ own diaries - staged in a masked version, incorporating giant puppets and a cast of 36.

CINDERELLA 2002: Wrote, directed and recreated the world of an 18th century harlequinade and pantomime, complete with original live music on period instruments, choreography and live horses (!) with a cast of 50, performing on an original Victorian music hall stage - incorporating the steepest rake still extant in England.

THE PATIENT 2001: As part of the Westcliff Agatha Christie Festival of 2001, staged this one-act as a lurid B-movie, complete with original music. The staging provoked outrage and threats from the Agatha Christie fan club!

A SUMMER'S DAY 2000: This new translation and English language premier of the Jon Fosse play resulted in an invitation to join the Royal Court in a symposium on directing in translation, hosted at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.

A Summer’s Day is excellent. Congratulations. It was worth the journey from Edinburgh. Brian McMaster, Director Edinburgh International Festival.

SUSPICIOUS MINDS 1999: New writing premier for the Bridewell Theatre, London. Based on torturing an Elvis impersonator, this sell out-success was conceived as a catwalk  Suspicious Mindsentertainment, featuring American fairground attractions - including pistol shooting at live human targets, all set to an Elvis soundtrack.

FIGARO 1998: Translated directly from the Beaumarchais original by Andrea Montgomery, this was directed as a 1990s physical theatre parable of a black Brixton boy struggling to survive in a Branstonesque “Virgin” Empire. The production featured original live music and songs in an MTV version of Beaumarchais’ 18th century masque, Vivienne Westwood-inspired costumes and a flexible mirrored set.

A slick production with comedy and burlesque at full throttle in two hours of rollicking fun. Direction by Andrea Montgomery is superlative. Her artistic movement makes for continuous comedy, with the imaginative direction handled adroitly by a competent cast.
The Stage

Staged with lashings of comic dexterity, this highly original version maintained much of the farcical humour of the original with some especially fine performances. Updated smack bang into the 20th century!
The Harlow Star

L'ECOLE DES FEMMES 1998: A highly physical staging of the Moliere play, commissioned by the European Theatre Company for tour in the UK and France.

THE RIVALS 1994-1997: Freely adapted by Andrea Montgomery and Stephanie Young from the Sheridan play, this version was directed for a cast of four and included a new revenge dream sequence for the character of Juliet. Conceived as an homage to the world of games, the piece was staged on single stretched canvas set representing a game board. The production included an original soundtrack and songs, and was accompanied throughout by live guitar. Began its life as a site-specific piece, went on to performance at 17 non-theatrical venues, followed by two theatrical tours.

What the production lacks in scenery it makes up for in imagination. At one point actors become a pair of swinging doors and merge to form the shape of a graceful gondola. Go see. The Pink Paper

The play showed tremendous creativity – it beat the cinema on its own ground with seemingly impossible feats. The Northwich Guardian

THE END OF THE WORLD ROMANCE 1996: This European premier of a new work by award-winning Canadian playwright Sean Dixon explored magic realism and its impact on physical theatre. The production featured a human crow on a flying bicycle, a woman whose three-metre high skirts captured the west wind - and an entire set that inflated and lifted away as the production unfolded. With an improvised jazz soundtrack played live, the play was staged at Sadlers Wells for ReCREATION Theatre Co.

Arresting and urgent.
The Guardian

Directed with considerable flair… A handsome production with an energetic, strong cast.
What’s On in London

PERSUASION 1995/1996: Staged twice over a 28-month period, this highly physical adaptation of the Jane Austen book featured live music ranging from opera to sea shanties and incorporated open-face masque techniques, breath-based choral work, multiple actors playing single characters and considerable physical comedy. After two UK tours and a London run, it went on to be adapted for a series of over 20 non-theatrical venues.

Your production reminded me of why I wanted to market theatre in the first place. Congratulations.
Marketing Manager, Lawrence Battley Theatre Huddersfield.

Brought to life with dashing brilliance, the technical detail of the piece was stunning.Tension mounts with every look, nuance and touch until the big moment comes and you want to cheer. Whether you are an Austen fan or not, it is a must.
The Hammersmith Chronicle

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER 1994: Originally staged in a disused stable block, this production went on to performances at more than 20 ‘found’ spaces across the UK. Adapted by Andrea Montgomery from the Goldsmith, this production featured original sung and choreographed masked intermezzi and was accompanied live by a trio of flute, guitar and cello.

This is an elegant production stunningly dressed, well-directed and choreographed, it is a pure joy. A magical evening.
The Pink Paper

Andrea Montgomery’s production is a model of taste and intelligence, with a sparkling young cast capturing just the right balance of exuberance and decorum.
Time Out Magazine

We are in the safe hands of a totally professional theatre company… The performances are high definition, delivered with verve and confidence.
The Richmond and Twickenham Times

THE DEATH OF THOMAS CHATTERTON 1993: Originally written by Ned Cox as a one-man show, the production was re-conceived by Andrea Montgomery to feature a ‘muse’ character who played live improvised violin. Winner of an Edinburgh Fringe First, the play was remounted at the Chelsea Centre Theatre, London, where it went on to win critical acclaim and Time Out Magazine’s best actor award.

Andrea Montgomery’s impeccable direction and a charismatically mercurial performance keep us effortlessly fascinated for close to two hours.
What’s On in London

Seductively sure, so subtle that we never stop delighting in the flamboyant mastery of emotions and mimicked characters…director Andrea Montgomery harnesses Stigwood’s talent with memorable effect. You’d be a fool to miss this.
Time Out Magazine

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 1993: Adaptation of the Austen text, staged for 12 non-theatrical venues. Featured original live music and songs commissioned for the piece, played live by a piano trio, with choreography based on period dance.

I was captivated.
Time Out Magazine

EMMA 1991 & 1992: Adaptation of the Austen text, conceived as a melodrama with a fully integrated original score commissioned for the production from Nikhil Dally and played live by a piano trio. Choreography based on period dance. Started out as a site-specific piece based at a residence and then toured to a range of non-theatrical venues.