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Helena Kaut-Howson, British theatre director.

Born in Poland, resident in UK since 1965 Helena trained at the Warsaw Academy of Theatre and later at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She gained Direcotors Diploma from both PWST and RADA as well as M.Phil degree from University of Warsaw. Internationally respected for her versatility and vision Helena has worked extensively in the UK, Poland, Canada, USA , Israel , Ireland and Japan. She has directed over a hundred productions of classics as well modern drama, opera and music theatre. She introduced a number of foreign and new work to British theatre often in her own translation and adaptation (MARIO AND THE MAGICIAN at the King' Head,London, SUNSET at the Half Moon and Oxford Playhouse, VASSA at Greenwich Theatre and Centaur Theatre in Montreal , WEREWOLVES at the Druid Theatre in Ireland and later at the Traverse and on tour of Scotland, DEMONS at the MacOwan Theatre, London, MASTER AND MARGARITA at the National Theatre Studio, MINOR APOCALYPSE at Posk, FULL MOON at the Clwyd Theatr and the Young Vic in London, SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS at UC Davis in California. She has directed regularly in major British regional theatres as well as in Lodon. Her most acclaimed productions include: Shakespeare's HENRY !V part I and II and HENRY V athe Octagon Bolton, THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS and HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA at the Lyric Belfast, MARAT/ SADE and ANOTHER COUNTRY Leeds Playhouse, TESS at West Yorkshire Playhouse as well as JANE EYRE which later transfered to the Playhouse Theatre in London, MAN AND SUPERMAN at the Glasgow Citizens ,and many others. She spent three years in Israel where founded and run Jerusalem Comunity Theatre,directing also at the Habimah National Theatre and the Cameri, which she continues to return to as a guest director. From 1992 to 1995 Helena served as an Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd in Wales.raising its profile to international league and attracting major artists such as Sir Anthony Hopkins, Julie Christie,Janet Suzman, Timothy West as well as nurturing local talent . She won prestigeoeous awards for an outstanding body of work as well as for individual productions at Clwyd and later at the Royal Exchange , (THE DEVILS, FULL MOON,THE ROSE TATTOO, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and HINDLE WAKES). The Polish premiere of Howard Barker's VICTORY in her translation and under her direction has won the Grand Prix for Best Production in Poland in 2003. Between 1998 and 2000 she run Theatre Archipelago , formerly Communicado. Her subsequent free-lance work in England and abroad included seven highly successful productions at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester , most notably THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO and HINDLE WAKES which achieved records of popularity and was revived to re-lauch the theatre fter the IRA bombing in 1997.She continued her professional link with Canada , diecting at the Shaw Festival, in Toronto and Montreal. One of the most rewarding strands of Helena's work has been her creative collaboration with Kathryn Hunter. This unigue, multi- award winning actor created unforgettable performances in Helena's productions of ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL in Leicester (1987),THE DEVILS and THE ROSE TATTOO at Theatr Clwyd,she was the groundbraking Lear in KING LEAR which started in Leicester in 1997, transfered to the Young Vic, later touring to Tokyo and Osaka. In 2006 they worked together on the critically acclaimed YERMA at the Arcola Theatre. Of the music theatre and opera productions directed by Helena, the most memorable were the British premieres of Nielsen's MASKARADE and Gerhards THE DUENA at Opera North both subsequently revived. In 2006 Helena directed at Sadlers Well's the rarely performed KOANGA by Frederick Delius and DIE FLEDERMAUS at the Wroclaw Opera. In television she directed THE KEEP as a project launching Welsh National Theatre of the Air. Parallel with her professional csrreer Helena pursues her commitment to the training of actors by regualy directing and teaching at LAMDA and RADA where she is an Associate.

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