{"id":10269,"date":"2023-04-24T13:00:23","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=10269"},"modified":"2025-03-05T11:03:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T11:03:34","slug":"from-theatre-maker-to-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/","title":{"rendered":"From Theatre Maker To Director"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Judy Hegarty Lovett \u2013 winner of Best Director at the 25th Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2023 \u2013 speaks to CONNECTED about her experience as a director, her creative journey and how her hard work has paid off.<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up in Ireland Judy didn\u2019t always know she wanted to be a director. Judy said: \u201cI was a creative child \u2013 I was always more drawn towards the creative subjects at school like art, theatre and music. I joined theatre club and Irish dancing outside of school too.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMy mother was also hugely creative. I\u2019d come home from school and the living room would be a different colour and the furniture rearranged, and when she worked she used her creativity as a florist. Although I didn\u2019t realise it at the time, it was a huge influence on how creative I am now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It took Judy a while to recognise her calling as a director, and she described herself as a creator of theatre for a long time. Judy shares her story, including how her time spent studying a PhD in Film, Theatre and Television<\/a> at the University of Reading helped her in her career, and her drive and determination that led to her winning the Irish Times Irish Theatre Award<\/a> for Best Director 2023.<\/p>\n

The seeds of the beginnings<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Judy practised different creative media throughout her education at Crawford College of Art and Design<\/a> and at University College Cork, Ireland (UCC)<\/a>; from painting to printing to performance pieces. It was during this time that her interest in the theatre was sparked.<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cI joined UCC\u2019s amateur dramatic society where I did a number of plays. In tandem with that, I did performance art whilst at Crawford College and I suppose that was the seeds of the beginnings, although I didn\u2019t know at the time that I was heading towards theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"StShortly after graduating from Crawford, Judy moved to Paris and joined the Gare St Lazare Players, an English-speaking theatre company in Paris which ran from 1983-1999, where \u2013 slowly but surely \u2013 theatre became a central focus in her life and career. Judy said: \u201cIt was in Paris that I started to consider that the theatre could actually be a career for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was prepared to work in all departments of the theatre: I made the posters, did the lighting, the sound, the costumes, and the production. Doing all these different roles gave me a rounded view of the theatre and a good understanding of it. My time in Paris was a fabulous opportunity to gain a true understanding of every aspect of theatre and acting.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Paris, Judy, along with husband and actor Conor Lovett, moved to London where the couple started Gare St Lazare Ireland<\/a> and began to work with Samuel Beckett\u2019s prose.<\/p>\n

Judy said: \u201cConor asked me to direct him in Molloy<\/em> and that was the game changer really. That solo piece went on to play in the Edinburgh Festival in 1998 and was a great success \u2013 we had amazing press coverage and response from this tiny little theatre.<\/p>\n

\n

“I often think back to that moment. If that hadn\u2019t have happened, would we still have headed in the Beckett direction and have this lifelong relationship?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

After their success in Edinburgh, Judy and Conor found themselves touring more than 25 countries worldwide \u2013 performing in over 80 cities \u2013 with the Beckett piece. Judy said: \u201cBecause the show was portable and we loved it \u2013 and all of Beckett\u2019s writing \u2013 so much, it was easy to hop around and tour it in different countries. It was hugely informative and a great way to engage with people and our craft.\u201d<\/p>\n

The work of Beckett soon became synonymous with Judy\u2019s career and, although unplanned, has stuck with her for over two decades.<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cWe didn\u2019t plan to focus on Beckett\u2019s work for the last 25 years, but it turned out to be something we loved, something we could do and something people really enjoyed so we kept going.\u201d<\/p>\n

One for the team<\/strong><\/h4>\n

After touring with Beckett\u2019s prose over a period of ten years, Judy took his play, Waiting for Godot<\/em>, to the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2013. She said: \u201cThe scale of our work was changing dramatically and significantly; we were now bringing it to theatres with 2,000 seats, the recognition for the company was expanding, and we were beginning to work more collaboratively with different people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Judy<\/p>\n

One collaboration in particular proved a pinnacle experience in Judy\u2019s career.\u00a0Judy\u00a0explained: \u201cWe met with Will Eno who loved our work and who loved Beckett. He wrote a piece for us named Title and Deed<\/em> which we performed in New York in 2021 to great critical acclaim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTen years later we\u2019ve returned to his writing with this piece, The Realistic Joneses<\/em>, which we\u2019ve just played at the 2022 Dublin festival, and which we took to California this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is Judy\u2019s work in The Realistic Joneses<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that won her the Irish Times Irish Theatre Best Director Award and she is absolutely thrilled at the accolade. She said:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWinning the award was absolutely brilliant. It\u2019s one for the team, for the company, for myself. It\u2019s great to get recognition because it\u2019s the culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

An informative experience<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Judy refers back to her time at Reading as being a key factor in her career success. She said: \u201cMy doctorate at Reading was hugely helpful in understanding my role as a director, what I brought to the work, seeing myself as a director and how I understood myself. As most doctorates are, it was hugely informative to my practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that a lot of critics, writers and academics were writing about our work with some not understanding it and I wondered \u2018Why is that?\u2019 I thought maybe I needed to discuss this from the inside out and to define the work from the point of view of the creator. I decided to focus my thesis on the work I do as a director and the company presenting Beckett\u2019s prose on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because Judy completed her PhD in Film Theatre and Television, part-time while continuing to work and run Gare St Lazare Ireland, her focus on reflecting on her practice was symbiotic. She said: \u201cBecause I was writing about my own practice, while working, I was literally reflecting on my own output, as it was happening. It was an amazing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt was a lot of work but I found it hugely inspiring and helpful to my practice and way of thinking. My doctorate was an amazing tool for looking at the practice and forming a clear sense of how to describe it and understand it \u2013 it was just incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It was a thirty year gap since Judy had been in any sort of academic practice but what may have been daunting for some, she saw as a great opportunity. She said: \u201cI was pretty rusty starting out. That was another brilliant thing to experience, to be able to watch my writing skills develop and to realise it will improve, like everything, if you keep practising. So it was really enjoyable to realise that I can write and I can express myself through writing.<\/p>\n

As well as highlighting the development of her writing skills during her PhD, Judy also praised the wonderful support from her supervisors, Professor Anna McMullan and Professor Lib Taylor. She said: \u201cThey were just incredible from the get-go \u2013 hugely encouraging, very approachable and available. They taught me that I could do this, and that what I had to say was important. Wherever I had doubts about my own skills to write, express, or integrate the subject, they constantly reinforced an incredible sense of value and encouragement all the way through. I honestly don\u2019t think I could have done it without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Endless possibilities <\/strong><\/h4>\n

As well as having a doctorate in her practice alongside an abundance of experience, Judy accredits the challenges that can be encountered when starting off in the industry as providing invaluable experiences that have shaped her career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cBeing a director is all about relationships and managing relationships, and managing ideas, creativity and the process \u2013 that\u2019s not the entire role as director but it is certainly some of it. It\u2019s about making a space for people to feel included and be part of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Judy shared that there is more to be done within the field to improve issues around gender politics. She said: \u201cComing from the point of view of a woman – and all women will know and understand this – there is an additional negotiation that comes with gender. It\u2019s a sensitive issue that I\u2019m sure works both ways; there\u2019s a gender imbalance.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe more we work towards undoing those structures, the better. I think we\u2019re making headway into having a better understanding of each other and how structures need to change to be more inclusive, on all matters to do with gender politics.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Judy encourages that future students hoping to get into the industry should \u201cgo for it\u201d and offers advice for those starting off. She said: \u201cIt\u2019s a difficult career path for both actors and directors, particularly when you are relying on agencies to employ you, and it\u2019s easy to lose heart when you\u2019re not getting work. I decided not to work for agencies but started my own company to work for myself but even then, there\u2019s gaps and fallow stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to remain motivated and to see those gaps as times to work on new ideas and on new projects. View those moments as an opportunity for new creative possibilities.<\/p>\n

\n

“If you\u2019re a student starting out, learn how to market those fallow periods as development periods. Honour yourself as an artist who creates rather than just being presentational.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Judy is currently in California directing her award-winning The Realistic Joneses<\/em><\/a> until 14 May 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Judy Hegarty Lovett \u2013 winner of Best Director at the 25th Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2023 \u2013 speaks to CONNECTED about her experience as a director, her creative journey and how her hard work has paid off. Growing up in Ireland Judy didn\u2019t always know she wanted to be a director. Judy said: \u201cI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":10276,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[165,54,69,171,34,59],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Theatre Maker To Director - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Judy Hegarty Lovett - winner of Best Director at the 25th Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2023 - speaks to CONNECTED about her experience.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Theatre Maker To Director - Connected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Judy Hegarty Lovett - winner of Best Director at the 25th Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2023 - speaks to CONNECTED about her experience.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Connected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-24T13:00:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-05T11:03:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/04\/From-Theatre-Maker-to-Director.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hborthwick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hborthwick\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/\",\"name\":\"From Theatre Maker To Director - Connected\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-24T13:00:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-05T11:03:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/d157a6109fe9016277eac542eeee46f6\"},\"description\":\"Judy Hegarty Lovett - winner of Best Director at the 25th Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2023 - speaks to CONNECTED about her experience.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"From Theatre Maker To Director\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/\",\"name\":\"Connected\",\"description\":\"Alumni magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/d157a6109fe9016277eac542eeee46f6\",\"name\":\"hborthwick\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ff1a509f1916634398106b31c0222bee?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ff1a509f1916634398106b31c0222bee?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"hborthwick\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/author\/hborthwick\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From Theatre Maker To Director - Connected","description":"Judy Hegarty Lovett - winner of Best Director at the 25th Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2023 - speaks to CONNECTED about her experience.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"From Theatre Maker To Director - Connected","og_description":"Judy Hegarty Lovett - winner of Best Director at the 25th Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2023 - speaks to CONNECTED about her experience.","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/","og_site_name":"Connected","article_published_time":"2023-04-24T13:00:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-05T11:03:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":550,"url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/04\/From-Theatre-Maker-to-Director.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"hborthwick","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"hborthwick","Estimated reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/","name":"From Theatre Maker To Director - Connected","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-04-24T13:00:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-05T11:03:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/d157a6109fe9016277eac542eeee46f6"},"description":"Judy Hegarty Lovett - winner of Best Director at the 25th Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2023 - speaks to CONNECTED about her experience.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/04\/24\/from-theatre-maker-to-director\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From Theatre Maker To Director"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/","name":"Connected","description":"Alumni magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/d157a6109fe9016277eac542eeee46f6","name":"hborthwick","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ff1a509f1916634398106b31c0222bee?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ff1a509f1916634398106b31c0222bee?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"hborthwick"},"url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/author\/hborthwick\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10269"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10269"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10346,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10269\/revisions\/10346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}