Phillip Mackenzie, U.K. / Australia 2025
Born in Cootamundra NSW Australia.
Studied Drama and Psychology at University of New South Wales.
Studied theatre with Lindsay Kemp before serving a 3-year apprenticeship with New York director Salvatore Maraucci in performance creation. Since arriving in Europe from Australia in 1979, He has worked as an actor and performer and Director with Cardiff Laboratory Theatre, Odin Theatet, Impact Theatre, Welsh National Opera, Centre for Performance Research, Steve Shill Company, Gloria with Neil Bartlett, Royal Shakespeare Company, and National Theatre.
He was co founder/co artistic Director of acclaimed theatre and performance company Man Act. Recognised internationally for its innovation and physicality and travelling to 25 countries.
He was external degree assessor for University of Wales, Cardiff in Time Based Performance Studies BA (Hons) 1995-1998 and was an advisor to the Dance and Drama panel for the Arts Council of Wales (1998 - 2002). Board member of National Association of Youth Theatres 2007 - 2010.
2001 - 2015, Director of Youth Theatre/New Artists’ Development and Head of Creative Learning.for the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff. Creating large and middle scale contemporary theatre works, including performances in Kosovo, Italy, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic and Chelyabinsk. In 2015 he departed the Sherman Theatre to pursue new opportunities - Master of Arts in Creative Writing. He continues to deliver masterclasses in improvisation, ensemble and theatre and performance making throughout Europe and beyond.
Past residencies include Terra Nova, Copenhagen. (FIST Festival) Belgrade. (Olga Pona Company) Chelyabinsk, Siberia. (ACTS Festival) Bilbao. (4th Int’l Festival of Change) Athens. European Dance Development Centre, Arnhem. Theatre Uz theatre for Youth, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. MFM and LSO, Mombassa, Kenya, and Egypt. He currently lives in Wales.
Secret. Rumor. Fact.
A three hour deep dive into the imagination.
Starting from the creation and interrogation of a single human image. We will gradually construct the world this image/person inhabits and populate this world with a myriad of character and event and relationships.
To establish the conditions for the unexpected, the surprising, the unpredictable, the irrational and the beautiful to take place.
Using simple physical and movement vocabulary to uncover structures and behaviours that activate - tension and attention, energy and engagement. Allowing the units of people to organise and form themselves, creating different atmospheres with sound, actions, and images to uncover the endless possibilities that can be generated and developed from a single image
A high speed experience into devising, performance making and the labyrinth of the human condition.
