Maria Messias Mendes

Writer Director

I’m a writer, director and visual artist. I am particularly interested in writing that crosses boundaries of form, medium, genres language to better portray complex realities and identities. My practice focuses on how a play’s form and production is related to its politics; all my work is preoccupied with interrogating socio-political injustice. Some of my influences are debbie tucker green, Athol Fugard and Winsome Pinnock.

Credits

WRITER/ DIRECTOR Lighter Shades of Blue, Short Film, 2024
WRITER Pictures, Overexposed, Cambridge Junction, 2023
WRITER Stroking Bumblebees, Cambridge Junction, 2023
DIRECTOR Start Your Script, Theatre Royal Haymarket, 2023
WRITER Leanne, Short Film, 2023
WRITER/DIRECTOR Newham Hydra, Cambridge Junction, Scratch Night, 2022
WRITER/DIRECTOR Solifuge, Corpus PLayroom, 5 Nights, 2022
DIRECTOR A Month, Short Film, 2022
DIRECTOR Backroom, Downing New Writers Festival, 2022
PRODUCER, The Grey Area Showcase, Cambridge University, 2021/2
DIRECTOR, The Wounds We Share, Queen Mary Theatre Company (QMTC), cancelled due to COVID-19, 2020

Training

MSt Writing for Performance, University of Cambridge
Mercury Playwrights Development Programme, Mercury Theatre
Menagerie Young Writers Programme, Cambridge Junction
B.A. (Hons) English with Creative Writing, Queen Mary University of London
TROOP artist development programme at the Cambridge Junction
Working with composers and/or musical directors Workshop, Young Vic, London
Playwriting Masterclass, with Beth Steel, Almeida Theatre, London
Directing Masterclass, with Emily Ling Williams, Almeida Theatre, London
MicroMasters in Writing for Performance and the Entertainment Industries, University of Cambridge
Erasure Poetry Workshop, with Ben Norris, Southbank Centre
Writing Poetry from Art Workshop, with Will Harris, Southbank Centre
Transformative Testimonies, Wasafiri
Neil Gaiman’s The Art of Storytelling Masterclass
Playwriting Masterclass, with Ella Hickson, Theatre Royal Haymarket
Diversity and DIY Publishing Workshop with Queen Mary School of English and Drama

Location

London

Experience

2-5 years

Art forms / Disciplines

  • Film - feature
  • Film - short
  • Literature
  • Multi-disciplinary / cross art form
  • Other
  • Radio/Audio
  • Theatre / Live perfomance
  • TV - drama
  • Visual arts

What I do

  • Devising
  • Directing
  • Dramaturgy
  • Editing
  • Languages
  • Music - Plays Instruments
  • Music - Singing
  • Performing
  • Physical Theatre / Mime
  • Producing
  • Workshopping & Development
  • Writing

Additional Languages

German, Portuguese

Social

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