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Some plays I love:

Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets

The Flick by Annie Baker

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

The Effect by Lucy Prebble

The Grain Store by Natal'ya Vorozhbit

Roots by Arnold Wesker

You Got Older by Clare Barron

Static by Dan Rebellato

Constellations by Nick Payne​

Circle Mirror Transformations by Annie Baker

Some productions I'm still thinking about:

The Cherry Orchard - Donmar Warehouse, 2024​

The Cord - The Bush Theatre, 2024

The Confessions - NT, 2023

Le Passé - L'Odéon, Paris, 2021

The Swing - Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu, NZ, 2019

Dance Nation - Almeida Theatre, 2018

Summer and Smoke - Almeida Theatre, 2018

An Octoroon - NT, 2018

LOVE - National Theatre, 2017

Lungs - Paines Plough, 2016

Once - West End, 2013

Gatz - Elevator Repair Sevice/West End, 2012

Going Dark - Young Vic, 2012​

Some films I've seen recently that I'm still thinking about:

Being There

Anora​

Drive My Car

Past Lives

Maestro

Gasoline Rainbow

Perfect Days

C'mon C'mon

Me You and Everyone We Know

The Before Trilogy

Nebraska

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Kia ora.          Hello.          Dia dhuit!

My name's Max (he/him). I'm a New Zealand-British-Irish director and writer.

Whilst there is often a strong movement element to my work, and questions around love and time tend to reappear, my interest does not lie in one form or genre (new writing, adaptations, re-imagining classics, especially modern American theatre).  

 

I am always searching in my work to find moments that can unlock the extraordinariness of our ordinary lives - moments where we feel greater than the limits of our experience - however that manifests in story on stage and screen.

​***

I trained on LAMDA's MA Directing programme and founded Southern Magpie, picking up Offie Nominations for Best Director, Best Movement and a Pub Theatres Award for Show of the Year.

I've worked as an assistant director to Olivier Award winning director Rebecca Frecknall and  North Wall Artistic Director Ria Parry. And I've been mentored by Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Mike Longhurst and Auckland Theatre Company Artistic Director Colin McColl.

​***

I am committed to access and inclusion in the arts, and have my Level 1 British Sign Language Qualification. I have held a residency to work with young people at Bedales School and been commissioned by drama schools Mountview and LAMDA to create work for and with young people and D/deaf and disabled actors.

My first short film as writer and director 'Our Old Den' has played at festivals world wide, including being Runner up Best Interntional Film at SENE Festival (one of Moviemaker-Film Freeways 20 best festivals for first time filmmakers) and was a semi-finalist at Academy Award Qualifying Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival.

***

Contact: max_kirk@outlook.com

:)

There's some more images and reviews on the HOME page

and also on my old website here: Max's old website

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Some plays I love:

Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets

The Flick by Annie Baker

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

The Effect by Lucy Prebble

The Grain Store by Natal'ya Vorozhbit

Roots by Arnold Wesker

Constellations by Nick Payne

​Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph

Static by Dan Rebellato

©2018 by Southern Magpie Theatre. Created with Wix.com

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