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Matthew Xia

Director DJ Sound Designer / Composer

He/Him

A director and theatre-maker who has made work at Stratford East, Young Vic, Royal Exchange, Nottingham Playhouse, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Hampstead Theatre, The Sherman and elsewhere.

Previously: Associate Artistic Director (Manchester Royal Exchange), Director in Residence - RTYDS (Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse), Associate Director (Theatre Royal Stratford East).

I am the Artistic Director of Actors Touring Company.

Credits

Role Director. Unless stated.

Recent Directing
THE WIZ (Hope Mill Theatre)
RICE by Michele Lee (ATC / Orange Tree)
FAMILY TREE (ATC / Young Vic / Greenwich and Docklands Festival)
846LIVE (Stratford East / Greenwich and Docklands Festival)
AMSTERDAM by Maya Arad Yasur (ATC / Orange Tree / Plymouth Drum)
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI... by Kemp Powers (Nottingham Playhouse / Bristol Old Vic / HOME)
BLOOD KNOT by Athol Fugard (Orange Tree Theatre)
EDEN by Hannah Patterson (Hampstead Theatre Downstairs)
SLEEPING BEAUTY by Sarah Nixon, Mark Chatterton and Robert Hyman (Theatre Royal Stratford East)
SHEBEEN by Mufaro Makubika (Nottingham Playhouse / Theatre Royal Stratford East)
FRANKENSTEIN by April de Angelis after Mary Shelly (Royal Exchange)
DUBLIN CAROL by Conor McPherson (Sherman Theatre Cardiff)
WISH LIST by Katherine Soper (Royal Court)
BLUE/ORANGE by Joe Penhall (director)

Manchester Royal Exchange
FRANKENSTEIN by April de Angelis after Mary Shelly (director)
WISH LIST by Katherine Soper (director)
INTO THE WOODS by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim (director)
BRINK by Jackie Kay (director)

Young Vic
BLUE/ORANGE by Joe Penhall (director)
THE SOUND OF YELLOW by Francesca Beard, Matthew Xia and the participants (director)
SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD by Athol Fugard, Winston Nshona, John Kani (director) (Eclipse co-production) GENESIS DIRECTOR AWARD
BLACKTA by Nathaniel Martello-White (assistant director to David Lan)

Theatre Royal Stratford East
SLEEPING BEAUTY by Sarah Nixon, Mark Chatterton and Robert Hyman (director)
MAD BLUD by Philip Osment (associate director to Philip Osment)
THE BLACKS (REMIXED) by Jean Genet (co-director with ULTZ /composer/actor)
RE:DEFINITION a staged concept album starring: Fumin, Shola Ama, Ghetts, Devlin, Omar (director)
I WAS LOOKING AT THE CEILING AND THEN I SAW THE SKY by John Adams prod. Barbican (co-director Kerry Michael)
CINDERELLA by Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman (co-director Kerry Michael)
ALADDIN by Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman (associate director to Kerry Michael)
SKIN by Toby Wharton (reading - director)
INHERITANCE by Mike Packer (reading - director)
DA BOYZ by Rogers and Hart (musical director/adapter/performer)

​Other Directing
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI... by Kemp Powers (Nottingham Playhouse / Bristol Old Vic / HOME)
BLOOD KNOT by Athol Fugard (Orange Tree Theatre) 5x OFFIE NOMINATED
EDEN by Hannah Patterson (Hampstead Theatre Downstairs)
SUCKERPUNCH BOOM SUITE a staged mixtape in response to Basquiat (Barbican / NitroBEAT)
WISH LIST by Katherine Soper (Royal Court) BRUNTWOOD AWARD WINNER / STAGE DEBUT AWARD / UK THEATRE AWARD NOMINATED
MIGRATION MUSIC by Saphena Aziz (Liverpool Everyman)
SCRAPPERS by Daniel Matthew (Liverpool Playhouse)
THE MISANTHROPE by Roger McGough after Moliere (Liverpool Playhouse - asst. director to Gemma Bodinetz / ETT Tour)
BLACKLANDS by Levi David-Addai (Alfred Fagon Award Reading, Cottesloe - National Theatre)
WILD CHILD by Arinze Kene (Royal Court - Rough Cut)
THE MACHINE SPEAKS by Matthew Xia, Sarah Sayeed and cast (Contact Theatre)
RUTH THE DIVORCEE AND BARRY THE LOVE SICK BEE by Jon Brittain (Soundbites at Lyric Hammersmith Studio)
ABANDONMENT by Tom Morton-Smith (Soundbites at Rich Mix)
SOYUZ 40 by Kenny Emson (Soundbites at Theatre 503)
RE:DEFINITION a staged concept album starring: Kano, Donaeo, Ghetts, Scrufizzer, Mpho (Urban Development at Hackney Empire)
IN HIS HANDS by Roberto Martins (Okai Collier at Hackney Empire)
WHEN CHAPLIN MET GANDHI by Jim Kenworth (Site specific piece at Kingsley Hall)

Training

RTYDS 12 Month Placement at Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.

2019 Honorary Doctorate - UAL.

Location

London

Experience

10+ years

Art forms / Disciplines

  • Film - short
  • Magic / illusion
  • Multi-disciplinary / cross art form
  • Music
  • Opera
  • Radio/Audio
  • Theatre / Live perfomance

What I do

  • Devising
  • Directing
  • DJ
  • Dramaturgy
  • Facilitating
  • Mixing
  • Music Composition
  • Site Responsive/Immersive
  • Sound Design
  • Teaching / Coaching
  • Theatre making
  • Verbatim theatre
  • Working with disabled artists
  • Working with young people
  • Working within a Community / with community participants
  • Workshopping & Development

Additional Languages

No

Social

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