Indiana Lown-Collins
Award-Winning Theatre Director
About Indiana
Indiana (she/her), is a theatre maker and director who won the 2022 JMK Directors Award with her production of, ‘The Solid Life of Sugar Water’ by Jack Thorne which played at the Orange Tree Theatre and won the OFFIE for 'Best Production'. She was then nominated for ‘Best Debut Director’ at ‘The Stage Debut Awards’. Indiana was Resident Associate Director at Shakespeare's Globe (2023) where she directed ‘Burnt At The Stake’ a thrilling night of new writing. Indiana started working professionally as a director in 2016 and has had the privilege of working with new writing, Shakespeare and musicals across a number of different and exciting venues. As an artist Indiana thrives to push boundaries; prioritising working with an uninhibited perspective and making theatre that will evolve her artistic practice towards discovering radical yet sincere forms of expression. As a disabled artist she is passionate about making theatre that puts disabled voices at the centre of the story and igniting a new way of presenting theatre.
Pinocchio by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Simon Reade
Indiana Lown-Collins and Elle While (Co-Directors) are thrilled to be bringing Simon Reade’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s artfully told, funny and anarchic story of our favourite puppet boy Pinocchio to life, at The Watermill Theatre this Christmas (2024). We’re excited for audiences to join us on an adventure into a magical world where things aren’t always what they seem.
Reviews
★★★★★ Every aspect of the stagecraft is outstanding. Simply Glorious
The Guardian
★★★★★ Fresh, boisterous production brought to life with ingenuity, talent and flair. Elle While and Indiana Lown-Collins strike a perfect balance between family entertainment and imaginative theatre.
The Stage
★★★★★ Exhilarating, joyus, vibrant production
WhatsOnStage
★★★★ Folksy entertainment, a restlessly versatile cast and lots of charm
The Times
The Solid Life Of Sugar Water by Jack Thorne
Indiana directed her JMK Award winning production 'The Solid Life Of Sugar Water' by Jack Thorne which played at The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond in autumn 2022. The Solid Life of Sugar Water is a beautifully told, witty and impassioned personal story. It amplifies disabled voices as an integral part of the play, and provides representation of a community that often goes unseen and unheard. Please find more information on the show below. https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-solid-life-of-sugar-water/about
Reviews
'The Solid Life of Sugar Water' has won the OFFIE Award (Off West End) for 'Best Production'. It was also nominated for 'Best Access' (For breaking down barriers), 'Lead Performance' for Katie Erich and 'Lead Performance' for Adam Fenton.
The OFFIES
★★★★★ "Inclusive, consistently compelling...A vital, remarkable piece of theatre"
What's On Stage
★★★★ "Brilliantly acted, designed and directed, Thorne’s tender but brutally powerful portrait of a couple gets an overdue revival"
The Guardian
★★★★ “Lown-Collins deftly handles the plays emotionally gruelling content.”
The Stage
★★★★ I look forward to seeing what Lown-Collins does next...She does the play and her two performers proud.”
Evening Standard
★★★★ "Explosively Funny...Smashingly good performances"
The Times
★★★★★ “Director Indiana Lown-Collins has humbled the West End in their lack of inclusivity, showing how utterly immaterial disability is to quality of performance”.
The Spy In The Stalls
Featured Shows
Burnt At The Stake
Shakespeare’s Globe
Last October Indiana co-directed a night of new writing 'Burnt at the Stake, or The Whole of the Truth' at the Globe Theatre. 13 anonymous writers told the tales that needed to be told in a night of uncensored and fearless storytelling. This was a night for us all to celebrate the power of story and imagination to make positive change.
Image Copyright: Cesare De Giglio
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare's Globe
Indiana was Resident Associate Director at Shakespeare's Globe in 2023. Her role included working as associate on A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Elle While (starring Michelle Terry) and As You Like It directed by Ellen McDougall . As resident Indiana was an integral part of the creative team from the early development of the productions and a part of the core artistic team within Shakespeare’s Globe throughout the year.
Image Copyright: Shakespeare's Globe
The Purple Princess
Guildford Shakespeare Company
A new piece of writing, devised and directed by Indiana, where the script focused on seizure awareness through a modern fairytale. The show toured throughout Surrey over a three week run. It was an incredibly rewarding process where we witnessed the impact theatre can have on highlighting unheard voices and a production giving life tools that could save lives.
Image Copyright: Guildford Shakespeare Company
Credits
Pinocchio (The Watermill Theatre); The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Orange Tree Theatre); Burnt at the Stake (Shakespeare’s Globe); Welcome to Thebes (Performance Preparation Academy); Romeo and Juliet and The Purple Princess (Guildford Shakespeare Company); and The Last Supper for the Fresh Direction ‘Replay Project’ at the Young Vic.
As associate director: Drop the Dead Donkey (U.K. tour) with Simon Friend Productions; Richard III, As You Like It and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe; The Light at the Piazza in concert at the Alexandra Palace Theatre and Merrily We Roll Along at the Yvonne Arnaud. As assistant director: Titus Andronicus and Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe; All’s Well That Ends Well at the Jermyn Street Theatre; Cinderella at the Yvonne Arnaud; All Aboard at the Electric Theatre. As movement director: Romeo and Juliet, Henry V and The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen for GSC. As language coach: Strictly Ballroom the Musical at Leeds Playhouse. She was the assistant director and producer at the Guildford Shakespeare Company (2019–2021), assisting on As You Like It, She Stoops to Conquer, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet and The Legend of King Arthur; and was associate director on Macbeth.
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