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Aoife trained as a director at The Drama Centre London specialising in Lee Strasberg under Reuven Adiv, Uta Hagen and Annie Tyson. Her training also involved working on the Laban Malgram system under James Kemp.
Since graduating she has worked as a freelance theatre director. Her early work included assisting Nancy Meckler and Polly Teale on their productions of Madame Bovary and A Passage To India. She has also worked at the Young Vic with Tiffany Watt Smith on a number of Sean O’Casey’s plays. These early experiences have informed and shaped her subsequent professional work and artistic values leaving her with a strong belief and commitment to the drama process.
In 2006 she began a two year stint as Associate Director at the Union Theatre, Southwark. At this unique venue she was responsible for a number of productions including Treehouses, Imposters, Spring Awakening, Stars In The Morning Sky and The Tinkers Wedding. She was also responsible for the development of up and coming artists and the promotion of new writing.
Since 2008 she has been involved in training and directing at Italia Conti and the Drama Centre working with students of acting and directing. With Italia Conti she has directed Tales from the Vienna Woods, The Rover, Our Town, Once a Catholic, On the Razzle, Under Milkwood, As You Like It, Orpheus Descending, Dolly West’s Kitchen and All’s Well That Ends Well. At Drama Centre she sits on the Acting, Directing and Foundation audition panels.
She has maintained a close relationship with Studio Moliere in Vienna for whom she has directed Macbeth and Blithe Spirit. She has also worked there on programmes designed to introduce young people to classical theatre.
In addition to teaching and directing she found time for new writing projects such as Picture of Alchemy at the Etcetera Theatre, Camden and There’s Something In The Fridge That Wants to Kill Me a script by award winning writer Chips Hardy at the Underbelly, Edinburgh and Theatre 503, Battersea. Aoife has also taught at ArtsEd, Lemmon Jelly Arts and Jigsaw Arts. In 2009 she established The Drama Centre Summer School, a three week course at the Drama Centre London and continues to run this.
Besides being at our Summer School in 2009 and 2011, Aofie was at Stageworks in Ireland in 2010.
Aoife Smyth was a summer school tutor in: 2009 2011