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.
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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.
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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.
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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




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