Hello,

My name is Helen, I am a theatre director and participation producer based in Bristol. I believe art is a vehicle of social change and this drives the work I make.

As a director I like work that is formally innovative, playful and politically urgent, where the live presence of the audience feels necessary and the storytelling is inherently theatrical. I enjoy taking a detailed approach to text and relish supporting the dramaturgical development of new work. I have made work for The Yard Theatre, The Bunker Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe, VAULT Festival, MAC Birmingham and BBC Sounds.

As a participation producer I am interested in how theatre can be used as a tool in policymaking and community consultation, inspired by Legislative Theatre practice. I also enjoy designing and facilitating multi-disciplinary arts projects that enable cultural and charitable organisations to engage new communities with their work. I was previously Creative Arts Programme Lead at Prime Theatre and have extensive experience designing participatory projects for and with young people, particularly vulnerable young adults.

Training

MA Drama Directing - Bristol Old Vic Theatre School 2023-24

Legislative Theatre Training - Katy Rubin, February 2023

JMK Trust Mentored Director - Digital, 2020

Project on Peacebuilding - Most Mira, Bosnia, August 2019.

English and Theatre Studies BA Hons (1st Class) - University of Warwick 2015-18

RTYDS Introduction to Theatre Directing Course - Belgrade Theatre 2015-16

Notable credits Ava Wong Davies’ debut play i will still be whole (when you rip me in half) at The Bunker Theatre, as part of Chris Sonnex's 2019 season. The Heat Shop, an ACE funded installation exploring the climate and energy crises that distributed £7K of energy-saving devices and positively impacted Swindon Council's Green policies.

Praise for i will still be whole

“Beautiful, brutally honest…a startling openness and vulnerability that draws in the audience.”- The Stage

“Like ivy, this is a play that clings.” - Lyn Gardner, Stagedoor

“Helen Morley’s delicate direction creates a subtle mirror of the two women’s movements. (like shadows caught at the edge of each other’s vision.)” - Exeunt Magazine

The two performers balance each other so well under Helen Morley’s direction (...) This is a gem of a play, soft and lyrical and full of promise. - TheSpyInTheStalls.