Matt Wilde - Assistant Director Matt Wilde is what the National Theatre calls a Staff Director, and what elsewhere is known as an Assistant Director. He is there to assist the Director in any way necessary. This can mean doing research, or acting as a sounding board, but on big productions it can mean, as Matt has found on His Dark Materials , being responsible for realising the Director’s vision when rehearsing the cast through whole sections of the play. He has been part of the core creative team with Nicholas Hytner, Choreographer and Associate Director Aletta Collins, and Assistant Staff Director Dominic Leclerc. Often he would be rehearsing a scene in one rehearsal room, perhaps together with Aletta Collins or Fight Director, Terry King, while Nicholas Hytner rehearsed in another. Then he would bring the scene back into main rehearsals where Nicholas Hytner would take it on and give it his final polish. Matt sees his role as helping the actors find the best way to realise their characters, and keeping the company focused on their task and moving forward. As a Staff Director, he says, this means: “Asking the company to trust you that I’m stepping out of the picture and I can see the whole game so to speak.” |  | |
