Heidi Gledhill
Heidi Gledhill
Director
Heidi Gledhill, Queensland based award- winning theatre director. She has worked both nationally and internationally in theatre over the last 30 years. Heidi trained in Italy under Nobel Prize winner, Dario Fo and in London with Frantic Assembly after completing her honours in theatre at Macquarie University in Sydney.
Biography
As a theatre director, Heidi shares her passion for physical theatre and Commedia dell'arte, influenced by her scholarship at La Sapienza in Rome, where she worked alongside Nobel Laureate, Dario Fo and training with Frantic Assembly in London. Heidi’s directing credits include Ionesco’s The Bald Prima Donna, Brian Friel’s Afterplay, and Dario Fo’s Mistero Buffo, supported by Queensland Theatre and presented at Billie Brown and The Hanging by Angela Betzien at Playlab Hotlines. She directed Lally Katz’ The Eisteddfod and The Bull the Moon and The Coronet of Stars by Van Badham at Metro Arts. I AM KING I AM QUEEN was devised and directed by Heidi and toured to New Zealand and Sydney. As a lecturer at Australian Performing Arts Conservatory (APAC) she has translated and adapted, The Virtuous Burglar by Dario Fo and directed David Ives, Its all in the Timing at the Brisbane Arts Multicultural Centre. Her most recent works include Banging Denmark by Van Badham at PIP Theatre and Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell at AdAstra and The Children by Lucy Kirkwood. Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author is a return to her roots of Italian Theatre training.
Heidi is founder and Artistic Director of Room to Play, an independent theatre company that explores the boundaries of theatre and play. She has also trained with IDC (USA) as an Intimacy Director, bringing consent-based artistic practices to workspaces and productions.
Ad Astra Plays
Upcoming Plays
Past Plays
Other Theatre
2022 - All in the Timing by David Ives, Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre, Director
2021 – I AM KING, I AM QUEEN, West End, Director
2020 – The Bull,The Moon and The Coronet of Stars by Van Badham, Metro Arts, Director
2018 – The Hanging, by Angela Betzien, Playlab Hotlines, Director
2018 – I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen, Anywhere Festival, Director
2017 – The Eisteddfod by Lally Katz, Metro Arts, Director
2017 – Red Sky Morning by Tom Holloway, Newmarket Sheds, Actor
2017 – Mistero Buffo by Dario Fo. Queensland Theatre Independents, Director
2016 – One was Nude and One Wore Tails, Anywhere Festival, Director
2016 – Afterplay by Brian Friel, Sydney Fringe Festival, Director
2015 – The Virtuous Burglar by Dario Fo, Anywhere Festival, Director
2014 – The Bald Prima Donna by Eugene Ionesco, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Director
Training
Frantic Assembly, London, physical theatre and devising techniques
University of Technology, Sydney,. Masters of Arts Management
Macquarie University, Sydney, Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Theatre
Recipient of DFAT Scholarship to work alongside Nobel Laureate, Dario Fo based at La Sapienza, Rome University, Italy.
Representation
Freelance
Reviews
Clearly, the play remains ahead of its time in its fascination with appearance and reality, performance and truth. Director Heidi Gledhill’s decisions appreciate this tension, presenting the work as an intellectual puzzle, but also a genuine drama of fractured storytelling. There is a clear assurance to the direction and staging of the company’s largest cast of 23 performers. Movement of the sizeable ensemble is handled with care; blocking is purposeful and varied, making strong use of levels, clustered groupings and shifting focus so that the stage picture remains dynamic even when the text is wrestling with abstract ideas.
Meredith Walker - Blue Curtains | Read More
The play is helmed by director, Heidi Gledhill (Banging Denmark at PIP Theatre; Speaking in Tongues at Ad Astra) who also translated the script and updated some of the modern-day text. Personally speaking, Heidi’s version of Van Badham’s The Bull the Moon and the Coronet of Stars at Metro Arts in 2021 is one of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen. Heidi trained in Italy with Dario Fo and in London with Frantic Assembly, so she knows a thing or two about Absurdist and Grotesque Theatre styles. Pirandello's particular brand combines laughter with a tragic awareness of life’s absurdities – grist that great performers thrive on. The result is a wonderful piece of theatre with a very strong Ad Astra ensemble cast.
Beth Keehn - Stage Whispers | Read Review
Director, Heidi Gledhill has a cast of four very competent, diverse and experienced actors, who play nine roles. The four leads are well supported by the team of creatives lead by Stage manager Isabel Folland, who have all collaborated to create and highlight the special scenarios, atmosphere and nuance in each role.
Lilian Harrington - Absolute Theatre |Read Review Here
“Directed by Heidi Gledhill, The Hive Collective's premier production set the bar high for its future works. From Gledhill’s direction, to the poetic flavours of the text and the extraordinary performances by its two actors; the play moved, delighted and soared into the hearts of all audience members.
The prose is heavenly. The direction is divine. The acting is extraordinary. If you don't see this production, you will be kicking yourself. Or I will kick you. Figuratively of course, but the thought still applies. Bravo, Heidi Gledhill and the cast and creative team of The Bull, The Moon & The Coronet of Stars.
— Virag Dombay, Broadway World | Read full review
As a production and ensemble, Room to Play’s work is sharp, polished and engaging. Scenes are prone to making patrons shift uncomfortably in their seats - a nod to the commitment of all on stage and during the creative process.
Director, Heidi Gledhill, utilises the space with conviction. The actors are pushed to their limits to create a dark and comical fantasy that is relevant to current political and societal issues. Heidi has orchestrated action that superbly bounces around the stage and justifies her choices in movement by a character’s intent – it’s quite hypnotic to watch.
- Eric Scott, Absolute Theatre | Read full review
Director Heidi Gledhill honoured the farcical style and took it even further. The pace was tight, the punchlines were on point and this farce was done well, especially with a satisfying 60-minute run time. Movement, in particular, was a highlight of the show as the characters were always in action and on edge. True to Fo’s commedia dell’arte roots, the physical exaggerations of the characters ensured there was never a dull moment.
- Lachlan Driscoll, Theatre Haus | Read full review
Presented by Room to Play and directed by Heidi Gledhill, I Am King. I Am Queen is an intimate night at the theatre in which Roymata Holmes shared stories of his childhood leading up to his adulthood. These stories aren't always uplifting; some are filled with pain, longing and heartbreak. We follow his search to find himself, his sexuality and his calling in this world.
The audience is left cheering, giggling and wanting more. They're left yearning for more pieces of the puzzle, more facets of Holmes life that we've yet to explore.
- Virag Dombay, Broadway World | Read full review
Awards
2021 - Brisbane Powerhouse Award, Sydney Fringe Touring Award 2021