Profile
Training
2021 - 2023 The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching
2022 Frantic Assembly International Summer School Training in the Frantic Method (Devising, Ensemble Techniques)
2014 - 2017 East 15 Acting School (Loughton Campus), BA (Hons) Acting and Contemporary Theatre
2012 - 2014 Arts Educational Schools London, Dance Stream (Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz)
Productions and Teaching
As a Movement Director
2023 Movement Director and Director, The V&A Performance Festival 2023 Costume Design Show at The V&A, Presenting inside the Painting Galleries.
2023 Movement Director, UK TOUR of Emmeline, Director Anastasia Revi.
2022- 2023 Movement Director, Choreographer and Creator of Her Fight short film. BFI Future Film Festival: Nominated and Screened as Best Experimental. ‘Director Phoebe Stapleton has created an immensely powerful and artistic approach to physical expression’ ***** Awarded Best Experimental: APEX Film Festival, British Short Film Awards, Indie Flicks, Exeter International Dance Festival, London Movie Awards, Art Film Awards. HER FIGHT Blog - Her Fight Phoebe Stapleton
2023 Movement Director and Intimacy, Follow the Lines Directed by Velenzia Spearpoint, at The Bread and Roses Theatre. A one-woman show written by Olivia Pryle.
2023 Movement Support. The Devine Comedy at UAL with the Third Year BA Hons Acting and Performance students at UAL.
2023 Movement Support. Lear Directed by Mir Milenic with the Second Year BA Hons Acting and Performance students at UAL.
2022 - 2023 Movement Director, and Creator of The World Moves Me and I Move The World. The StART Enterprise 2022 Award Winner. Phoebe is developing a moving tour through primary schools, libraries and art galleries across East London. The moving tours invite children to look at the world from an alternative perspective, guided by movement and sonic soundscape.
2022 Intimacy Co-Ordinator and Movement Coach, Armour Short Film Directed by Thomas Dennis written by Beatrice Hyde.
2022 Movement Support The Day The Dam Burst, Director Luke Clarke with East 15 Acting School BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre. Work Included: Leading warm-ups, devising movement sequences around the stimulus of continually running on stage for 1 hour 10 mins, building running motifs.
2022 Movement Director. Theatre Peckham with Theatre Troupe on their devised Physical Theatre project. Theatre Troupe run community programs for children/young people with acute and complex mental health difficulties. In association with NHS CAMHS.
2022 Assistant Choreographer. The Right Royal Rumpus! Director Joe Austin, Choreographer Emma Flett. An inclusive children’s theatre show written by Kali Peacock. Leading and creating choreography, assisting choreography, leading warm-ups.
2022 Movement Director and Choreographer. Shakespeare’s Women, Director Bethany Pitts. BA Hons 2nd year Acting and Performance students at UAL. Work included choreographing a modern, empowering, ensemble jig. Building and leading movement sessions to explore performing Gender as disguise in Shakespeare drawing on Judith Butler, building ensemble and developing character physicality.
2022 Movement Director. Heartbreak Hotel, Director Lydia Vie with Theatre Lab Company, International Tour and The Etcetera Theatre London. Work included creating the physical world of the play, devising movement sequences drawing on clown and building ensemble.
2021 - 2023 Movement Director. Emmeline, Director Anastasia Revi, at The Cockpit Theatre and UK Tour. Work included choreography for ensemble scenes such as: Black Friday the suffragette demonstration, 1913 Epson Derby, and inside Holloway Prison. Devising transitions and solo character-led movement.
2019 - 2020 Movement Director. Let’s Get Active! Director Laura Turner, a children’s TV show in China. Work included: creating playful movement exercises for children aged 5 - 10, working with green screen and as the lead presenter.
2019 Movement support and physical performer. M.E.H with The Outbound Project, at The New Diorama Theatre. Work included: choreographing a continuous one-hour movement sequence inside a glass box.
As a Movement Teacher
2022 - TO CURRENT Associate Movement Lecturer at UAL for the BA Hons Acting and Performance course. Teaching across years, including: Movement Fundamentals, Performing Histories, Ensemble and Expressive Movement.
2023 Movement Lecturer for NAFA Creative Exchange. A collaboration between Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts - Singapore and Performing arts students at UAL. Offering movement as a shared tool for expression, communication and creation.
2022 Visiting Associate Movement Lecturer UAL. Working with the BA Hons 2nd year Acting and Performance students to cultivate the supernatural world of the weird sisters in Macbeth, Director Emily Louizou. Work included: character-led movement, exploring the natural elements physically and building ensemble.
2022 Assistant Movement Teacher to Stephanie Osztreicher at Harlington Young Peoples Centre. Working inclusively within a diverse community setting. Co-created and co-taught physical theatre techniques drawing on Lecoq and ensemble collaborative theatre.
2022 Assistant Movement Teacher to Stephanie Osztreicher at Blackheath Conservatoire. Assisting movement sessions in clown, physical theatre and devising techniques.
2020 - 2021 Play Space Co-ordinator with Tutti Frutti Children’s Theatre Company. Co-created and co-taught creative sessions working with movement, improvisation, play and devising techniques.
2020 - 2021 Delivered movement sessions for the SEN department at Wellington Primary School, Tower Hamlets. Working inclusively to support students who are Autistic and global development delay. Drew upon movement improvisation and Laban motion factors.
Experience
Movement Experience whilst on the MA Movement: Directing and Teaching
2022 Movement Assistant. Candide, Director Seb Harcombe, Movement Director Jasmine Ricketts. Attachment with Blackheath Halls Opera. Working with an ensemble of 100 performers assisting with mass movement choreography, devising the physical world of the play and utilising inclusive movement practices.
2022 Movement Assistant. Gift, Director Maja Milatovic-Ovadia, Movement Director Amaia Mugica. Placement with the MA Musical Theatre students at RCSSD.
2022 Movement Assistant. London Road, Director Julia Locascio, Movement Director Jim Manganello. Placement with the BA Hons 3rd year Musical Theatre students at RCSSD. Leading company warm-ups, creative movement explorations and assisting with choreography.
2022 Creative Partner with Access All Areas. Offering creative support for devising, ideas and practical work for learning disabled and autistic actors on the Performance Making Diploma.
As an Actor (Selected)
2021 Physical Performer and Puppeteer. PEA, Director Eden Harbud, Nod at the Fox Theatre Company, Research and development process.
2020 Physical Performer in full mask, as Young Bernard. The Best of Vamos Theatre, Director Rachael Savage with Vamos Theatre.
2019 Physical Performer, puppeteer, as Hani. UK Tour Yellow is the Colour of Sunshine, Director Wendy Harris, Movement Director Holly Irving with Tutti Frutti Children’s Theatre Company.
2019 Movement Captain and Maurice. Lord of the Flies, Director Ricky Dukes, Movement Director Julia Cave at Greenwich Theatre.
2018 Physical Performer and deviser. The Others, with We Are Kilter, at Camden Peoples Theatre.
2017 - 2018 As Physical Performer. International Tour TRIBE, Director Finn Morrell with Temper Physical Theatre. Performing internationally, Edinburgh Fringe and Jacksons Lane Theatre.
2017 As Leonie. Attic, Director Ed Theakston, Movement and Intimacy Director Jess Tucker Boyd at Kings Head Theatre.
2016 As Alice. Alice Unhinged, Director Joanna Billington at The Pleasance Theatre.
2016 As Grace Skerrit. Tesla, Director Luke Clarke, Movement Director Jess Tucker Boyd with The Alchemist, at The Corbett Theatre.
Informal Movement Training and Workshops
2022 Motion Capture with Sarah Perry Shapes in Motion. 2022 Motion Capture with Jessica Jefferies casting director. 2019 Embodying your Motion Capture with Asha Jennings-Grant.
2021 - 2022 Member of Covent Garden Minuet Dance Company, practicing Baroque Dance each week.
2020 - 2022 An ongoing weekly animal flow practice, that draws upon mobility training, and yoga.
2019 Vamos Theatre, Full Mask Technique Training Course, led by Rachael Savage.
2018 National Theatre, creative development puppetry workshop with Toby Olié and Sarah Mardel. 2017 Sean Garratt (Blind Summit) two-day puppetry and object manipulation workshop.
2017 Commedia dell’Arte and Mask technique led by Didi Hopkins.
Awards
2023. BFI Future Film Festival, Phoebe’s Movement Film ‘HER FIGHT’ was Nominated and Screened for Best Experiemental.
2022. Leverhulme Scholarship, The Leverhulme Trust, awarded by the Scholarship Panel of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
2016 - 2017. The Deans List, awarded by East 15 Acting School.
Memberships
UK Equity, Spotlight UK, an up-to-date DBS.
Biography
Phoebe is a movement director for stage and screen, movement teacher and physical performer. She is a Leverhulme Arts Scholar and uses movement to ignite stories through a unique perspective. Her understanding of the relationship between movement and text creates a physical language which develops character and enhances the world of the production. Phoebe is Neurodivergent and utilises her distinctive ability to think outside of the box within her movement work. She actively works to offer an inclusive practice that celebrates and encourages performers to unlock the inner rhythm that only they possess, in order to find out what moves them. Her experience working as part of physical ensembles, enables her to work collaboratively with the director and creative team to build the artistic vision. Phoebe holds an eclectic background of movement influences, but when working with actors she draws particularly on Laban’s motion factors and efforts. She aspires to create movement that is soulful, emotionally honest, playful and visually striking.
Phoebe trained as a dancer at Arts Educational Schools London before training as an actor at East 15 Acting School. She has received training from numerous performance practitioners including Marcin Rudy (Song of the Goat), Tracey Collier (Laban for actors), clown with Uri Roodner (Philippe Gaulier technique), Natalie Bareham (Laban and contemporary dance) Sean Garrett, Toby Olié, Sarah Mardel (Puppetry) and Tim McMullan (Theatre Complicité).
Phoebe has performed at leading theatres across the UK and internationally including Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, York Theatre Royal and Teatro Británico Lima, Peru. She has also movement directed and choreographed for short films, site specific performances, fringe theatres, physical/ dance theatre companies and educational films.
Phoebe is currently studying on the MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her research interests include: Inclusive practice, supporting neurodivergent performers through movement, Laban movement for actors, intimacy, touch, and how bodies are shaped by the politics of their environment inspired by the work of Judith Butler.
Skills
Choreography, Physical theatre, Devising, Direction, Inclusive practice and Education, clown, Laban for actors, puppetry, contemporary dance, motion capture, animal movement, baroque dance, Commedia Del’Arte, working with children and young people, full mask theatre, working with movement in animation and green screen, photography and film.
