Lindy Davies

Lindy Davies
Born	29 August 1946 Melbourne Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Director Actress Actor Trainer Performance Consultant
Website	www.lindydavies.com

Lindy Davies (29 August 1946, Melbourne, Victoria) has worked as a Director, Actress, Actor Trainer and Performance Consultant, winning awards and nominations for performance, direction and inspirational leadership.^[1]

Davies has been an influence on many actors, including Cate Blanchett,^[2][3][4][5] Dame Harriet Walter,^[6][7][8][9] and Julie Christie.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12]}

Intuition is the defining principle of her process.^[13][14][15]

Davies has worked as a Performance Consultant in film in Toronto, Vancouver, New York, London, Sydney and Melbourne. She has conducted master classes for actors, writers and directors at the Canadian Film Centre from 2010 - 2016.^[16]

Davies was awarded a two year Theatre Board Fellowship from the Australia Council for the Arts, to write a book on her Intuitive Approach to Performance for the Autonomous Actor.

Davies collaborated with Julie Christie on Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep and Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood, Stephen Poliakoff’s Glorious '39 and Sarah Polley’s Away From Her, for which Julie won a National Board of Review Award, a Critics’ Circle Award, a Screen Actor's Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Julie Christie was also nominated for an Academy Award for this performance.

Career

As Director

• National Theatre of Slovenia: Scenes From an Execution
• National Theatre of Slovenia: The Changeling^[17]
• Moscow Maly Theatre, Old Times.
• Wyndham's Theatre West End, Old Times (with Julie Christie, Leigh Lawson and Harriet Walter).^[7][10][18]
• Theatr Clywd, Old Times (with Julie Christie and Leigh Lawson)^[7][9][10]
• Chichester Festival Theatre, Hedda Gabler (with Harriet Walter Nicholas Le Prevost and Phyllida Law)^[8][19]
• Chichester Festival Theatre, Suzannah Andler (with Julie Christie)
• Sydney Theatre Company, Three Days of Rain, A Month in the Country (Opera House), Old Times
• Bell Shakespeare Company:, As You Like It (Opera House);
• Belvoir St Company B, Scenes from an Execution (nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director)
• State Theatre Company of South Australia, Room to Move
• Playbox, Fool for Love
• Victorian College of the Arts, The Rover, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Women Beware Women (Middleton/Barker), The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, Lysistrata.
• National Institute of Dramatic Art, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Electra; Miss Sarah Sampson.
• Pram Factory: Calling For Help
• La Mama: Calling For Help
• Open Stage: Marat Sade; Ride Across Lake Constance; The Birthday Party

Performance Consultant

Lindy Davies has developed an approach to performance: a process; which is an intuitive imaginative connection to language, space and transformation.

She has worked as a Performance Advisor/Consultant on many films including:

• Sarah Polley’s Away from Her for which Julie Christie won
  • the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress;
  • the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress;
  • the Critics' Circle Award
  • and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress.
  • Julie has also been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
• Lindy also worked with Julie Christie on Neverland and Troy.
• Alan Rudolph's Afterglow; for which Julie Christie received a 1998 Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
• Sally Potter's The Tango Lesson.
• Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet with Julie Christie.
• Dennis Potter's Karaoke with Julie Christie.
• Michael Whyte's The Railway Stationman with Julie Christie.
• Pat O’Connor's Fools of Fortune with Julie Christie.
• Australia: includes Looking For Alibrandi, Radiance, The Leaving of Liverpool, Talk, MDA.
• Indivision Lab 2009 AFC Consultant alongside Christine Vachon, Susanne Bier and Claudia Karvan.
• Screen Australia 2011 Flash Black Performance Workshop for Indigenous Directors.

Actor Training

• From November 1995 to January 2007, Lindy Davies was the Head of the School of Drama at the former Victorian College of Arts in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.^{[20][21][22][23][24]}
• Davies has worked extensively in film and theatre and possesses a strong philosophy in relation to the autonomous artist.
• Lindy Davies created an integrated curriculum for the training of Actors, Directors, Writers, Theatre-Makers, Designers and Technical Practitioners at the School of Drama of the former Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. The focus was upon training autonomous artists who would gain work throughout the world. Many of her graduates are now working internationally in their profession.^[25]
  • Lucy Taylor^[26][27][28]
  • Luke Mullins^{[29][30][31][32]}
  • James Brennan^[33][34]
  • Ming Zhu Hii^[35][36][37]
  • Simon Stone^{[25][38][38][39][40][41]}
  • Mark Leonard Winter^[42][43]
  • Chris Ryan^[44][45][46]
  • Patrick Brammall^[47][48]
  • Shelly Lauman^{[49][50][51][52]}
  • Eryn Jean Norvill^[53][54]
  • Alison Bell^[55][56]
• From 1979-1982 she held the position of Head of Acting at the Victorian College of Arts.
• From 1970-1978 she was a Lecturer in Drama at Melbourne State College.

Davies is presently writing a book on her Approach to Performance: The Intuitive Actor... a path to Autonomy.^[57]

Actress

• Malcolm, (AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress)
• Belvoir St Company B, Scenes from an Execution (Galactea), (nominated for a Critic’s Circle Award for Best Actress)
• N.I.D.A. Company, Vassa, (Vassa) (nominated for a Critic’s Circle Award for Best Actress)
• State Theatre Company of South Australia, The Seagull (Arkadina) Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Martha), Wild Honey (Anna Petrovna).
• Hunter Valley Theatre Company, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Martha), Condor Award for Best Actress.
• New Work: Lyndal Jones: Prediction Piece; Nan Hassall: Biennale Piece; Jenny Kemp: The White Hotel.
• Playbox, Upside Down at the Bottom of the World, (Frida), World is Made of Glass (Magda), Buried Child (Haley).
• Rex Cramphorn's Actor's Development Stream, Antony and Cleopatra,(Cleopatra) Britannicus (Agrippina), Hamlet (Gertrude) Not Suitable for Adults (Kate).
• La Mama, Mishka and Nomagava.(Mishka); Thoughts on Meeting A Friend; Halewyn; Tombstone.
• The Pram Factory, Marvellous Melbourne; Marvellous Melbourne II; Chicago Chicago; Don's Party.
• La Mama Experimental Theatre Company: Calm Down Mother; Comings and Goings; Birth of Space; I Don’t Know Who to Feel Sorry For; Dimboola, Halewyn.

Awards

• Malcolm, (AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress)
• Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award - A special citation for her contribution to performing arts in Australia.
• Recipient of the Monash University Distinguished Alumni Award for inspirational leadership and significant contribution to the theory and practice of drama.^[58][59]

References

1. "The 1998 Rex Cramphorn Memorial Lecture: Become the Change". Australasian Drama Studies. Issue 34. April 1999.
2. Lahr, John (12 February 2007). "Disappearing Act". Magazine – via newyorker.com.
3. Conrad, Peter (June 2012). "She's Not There - The curious case of Cate Blanchett". Magazine – via themonthly.com.au.
4. Kurcfeld, Michael (7 June 2002). "Cate Blanchett". Bravo Profiles. Rainbow Media. Bravo Cable.
5. "Cate Blanchett - Biography". Cate Blanchett. 11 May 2011.
6. Walter, Harriet (1999). Other People's Shoes: Thoughts on Acting. Viking. ISBN 9780670883530.
7. Billington, Michael (2007). Harold Pinter. Faber and Faber. p. 371. ISBN 978-0571234769.
8. Gross, John (17 August 1996). "Hedda to Hedda". The Telegraph – via telegraph.co.uk.
9. Pinter, Harold (25 July 1995). "Old Times - 1995".
10. McFadyean, Melanie (23 July 1995). "Julie Darling". Independent – via independent.co.uk.
11. Christie, Julie (11 September 2006). Away from her (DVD Commentary). Canada: Lionsgate Films (US). Julie Christie refers to Davies as her acting guru
12. Gliatta, Tom (9 February 1998). "Darling". Magazine – via people.com.
13. Ginters, Laura (April 2007). "Lindy Davies: a path to a process [Series of two parts]: Part 1 [Profile of actor and theatre director, Lindy Davies.]". Australasian Drama Studies (50).
14. Ginters, Laura (April 2008). "Lindy Davies: A Path to a Process, Part 2". Australasian Drama Studies (52).
15. Strube, Helen (1996). The autonomous actor : a case study of Lindy Davies (Thesis). Queensland University of Technology.
16. "Lindy Davies". cfccreates.com. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
17. "Lindy Davies directs "The Changeling" in Drama - Slovenian National Theatre". Vimeo. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
18. Wolf, Matt (13 July 1995). "Review: 'Old Times'". Variety.
19. "CAST LIST, HEDDA GABLER (1996)". Pass it on. Chichester Festival Theatre.
20. "Profile: Lindy Davies ~ theatre notes". Retrieved 2016-09-03.
21. Perkin, Corrie (31 October 2006). "Top marks in teacher's role". Newspaper – via theaustralian.com.au.
22. Strong, Sam (30 August 2012). "Guest Post: Sam Strong". The University of Melbourne.
23. "Feature: Eryn Jean Norvill". Sydney Theatre Company. 4 September 2014.
24. Usher, Robin (15 December 2010). "Vibrant indie scene ushers in next generation". Newspaper – via smh.com.au.
25. "Vibrant indie scene ushers in next generation". Retrieved 2016-09-04.
26. "Lucy Taylor". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
27. Hallett, Bryce (11 May 2009). "ransplanted New Yorker takes on epic Gatsby". Newspaper – via smh.com.au.
28. "Lucy Taylor NYC". Vimeo. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
29. Spring, Alexandra (22 October 2014). "Play it again, Godot". Newspaper – via theguardian.com.
30. "Luke Mullins". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
31. "Five questions with luke mullins & lachlan philpott". Play Writing Australia. 16 July 2015.
32. "On the Couch with Luke Mullins". Arts Review. 19 August 2013.
33. "Hearts, James Brennan". forevernow.me. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
34. "About - James Brennan". Retrieved 2016-09-04.
35. "Home". Ming-Zhu Hii. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
36. Bogan, Daniel. "The Setup / Ming-Zhu Hii". usesthis.com. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
37. "Ming-Zhu Hii". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
38. "Simon Stone". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
39. Croggon, Alison (2013-08-09). "When Simon Stone speaks, Australian theatre listens". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
40. "Theatre SimonStone turns movie director". 2016-02-18. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
41. Hemming, Sarah (2016-07-15). "Interview: theatre director Simon Stone". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
42. "'King Lear': Theater Review". Retrieved 2016-09-04.
43. "Mark Leonard Winter". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
44. "The Present Sets Theatre and Dates for Cate Blanchett's Broadway Debut | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
45. "Meet Chris Ryan - the actor not the author - Theatrepeople". www.theatrepeople.com.au. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
46. "Chris Ryan on Cyrano, the Duck, Kong and Chekhov | Daily Review: Film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more.". dailyreview.com.au. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
47. "Patrick Brammall on why Australian actors find success in L.A.". Retrieved 2016-09-04.
48. "Patrick Brammall". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
49. "Shelly Lauman - American Australian Association". www.americanaustralian.org. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
50. "FILMS". SHELLY LAUMAN. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
51. "Living the Dream Interview Series – Meet Shelly. She's a movie director in LA.". 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
52. "Shelly Lauman". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
53. Spring, Interview by Alexandra (2015-02-18). "New faces: meet Eryn Jean Norvill". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
54. "Geoffrey Rush is 'forever playful' says young star". Retrieved 2016-09-04.
55. Price, Sarah (2016-06-10). "Actress and screenwriter Alison Bell". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
56. "Alison Bell". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
57. "Lindy Davies". Bundanon Writer's Retreat. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
58. "Distinguished Alumni Awards". Monash University.
59. "Alumni Post: Director & Producer Ming-Zhu Hii | Channel". Retrieved 2016-09-04.

External links

• Lindy Davies' website
• Lindy Davies at the Internet Movie Database
• The Old Times (1995) Wyndham"s Theatre, London Photo Gallery
• Staff profile at Victorian College of Arts