Rebecca Gadsby
Theatre Director
Current/Upcoming work (2022):
1. Just finished directing "The Winter's Tale" at the London College of Music (university of West London)
2. Now in R&D for a new play, "5 Years" by Hayley Davis, in association with the Crucible Theatre
About
She began her professional career in theatre at the age of 15 as a child actor in a production with Opera North. She later went on to Warwick University to study Theatre and Performance, where her ground-breaking work into Reminiscence Theatre earned her a 1st class honours. Since then she has directed almost 70 full-scale theatre productions for Mid-scale Theatre, studio theatres, Fringe, Open Air Theatre, T.I.E and Site-Specific performances.
Her knowledge and expertise of the Regency and Victorian periods has helped to create a series of successful adaptations of Austen, Dickens, Brontë's, Wilde and Elizabeth Gaskell. It is rare that her period dramas receive anything less than a 4 or 5 Star review, and this has helped to carve a reputation for excellent quality period dramas on stage.
Career highlights have included a production of Pride & Prejudice which was performed to 3,000 people at Chatsworth House; the biggest event of it's kind in the UK. In 2011, her production of Sense and Sensibility was used in the BBC2 documentary, The Many Lovers of Austen (aired Boxing Day, 2011 on BBC 2). Most recently, she has been named "100 ones to watch" by the UK Creative Industries Council, and has won "Best Digital/Creative Start-Up" at the Mainframe Awards (2022) for creating the world's first immersive theatre app during the pandemic, thanks to a £40k grant from Innovate UK.
Rebecca is currently on a journey to experiment with digital technology in theatre, and has set up her own production company, Inside Theatre. Since Winter 2016, she has been developing technology for theatre funded by the Arts Council, Innovate UK and in association with a number of other partners. This ground breaking work is intended to assist story-telling, fuel imaginations and to engage a younger audience with theatre.
For a full list of credits, please see the profile on Mandy
Credits
THEATRE
Current: 5 Years R&D by Hayley Davis. Crucible Theatre (April - July)
Mrs Scrooge R&D: by Hannah Khalil, Derby Theatre. Sept-Dec 2021
13: by Mike Bartlett. Stanwix Theatre. March 2021
The Emperor’s New Clothes: world premiere by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm. May/June 2020.
Wind in the Willows: by Michael Spencer. Stanwix Theatre. March 2020
Yes Prime Minister: Jonathon Lynn. Leatherhead Theatre. April 2018
Communicating Doors: Alan Ayckbourn. Leatherhead Theatre. May 2018
The Crucible: by Arthur Miller. Stanwix Theatre. Sept 2016.
Mid-Scale UK/Ireland Tours
Jane Eyre: Blue Orange Theatre. March-June 2015
Wuthering Heights: Chapterhouse Theatre. September-Oct 2014
Sense & Sensibility: Chapterhouse Theatre. Jan-March 2012
Cranford at Christmas: Chapterhouse Theatre. Nov-Dec 2011
A Christmas Carol: Chapterhouse Theatre. Nov-Dec 2011 & 2010
Pride & Prejudice: Chapterhouse Theatre. Jan-March 2011
Open Air Theatre (Highlights) - Chapterhouse Theatre Co & Heartbreak Productions
A Midsummer Nights’ Dream: ‘07- '14
As You Like It: 2007
The Tempest: 2008
Twelfth Night: 2009
Much Ado About Nothing: 2010, 2014
Taming of the Shrew: 2012
Pride & Prejudice: 2010, 2012, 2015, 2018
Peter Pan: 2016
Cranford: 2011
The Importance of Being Earnest: 2012
Emma: 2012
Sense & Sensibility: 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014
Reviews
JANE EYRE: “Rebecca Gadsby’s direction exhibits great clarity with excellent use of the small stage to depict
such a vast tale.” ****
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Francesca Morrison, 27th July 2015The Stage
WUTHERING HEIGHTS: "...a rugged and fearless production...immersing us in a desperate melodrama "
The Stage, 27th June 2014 ****
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Francesca Morrison, 27th June 2014The Stage
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: “This lively production is marked by clear delivery and well-choreographed
physical antics. Director Rebecca Gadsby envisages the entire plot as a dream in which bizarre things happen and her
physical comedy works well.” ****
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Kevin Berry, 2014The Stage
CRANFORD: "the characters matter, their schemes and hopes grip, their embarrassments are enjoyed. ****"
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Kevin Berry, August, 2011The Stage
COMMUNICATING DOORS: “Hilarious, inventive and brilliant rep at the Leatherhead Theatre this week – no spoilers
– just go and see Ayckbourn at its best!” *****
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Janice WindleEssential Surrey, 3rd May 2018
PRIDE & PREJUDICE: “The acting, direction and script were all pin sharp, and the cast received a standing ovation
from the enraptured audience.” *****
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Nick Le Mesurier, 4th May 2018Leamington Courier
TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: The team managed to deliver a sugar-coated wrapping containing absurd humour, surprises, song and dance, sparkling repartee with the audience, and a heart-warming message. Can live theatre get any better than that? *****"
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Time Mottershead, Dec 18th 2011Remotegote
TWELFTH NIGHT "...the audience were whisked away into a fantasy world of music, trickery, mistaken identity and
love...the physical comedy element was exaggerated to great effect." Birmingham Mail 18th July 2013
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18th July 2013Birmingham Mail
SENSE & SENSIBILITY: "...they didn't disappoint. a five-star show.*****"
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Hubert Murphey, July 27th 2011Drogheda Independent
