Samara Hersch
About
Samara Hersch is a theatre maker, director and teaching artist whose practice explores the intersection of contemporary performance and community engagement. She is currently studying her Masters at Das Theatre in Amsterdam. Her current research is an exploration into radical modes of listening and public acts of intimacy, particularly through imagining new performative frames for non-professional performers and audiences to inhabit.
Directing credits include: Dybbuks (Chamber Made and Theatre Works 2018), We All Know What’s Happening (Arts House- winner of the Green Room Award for Best Contemporary and Experimental Performance 2017), Sex and Death (Arts House, Festival of Live Art- nominated for two Green Room Awards for Best Contemporary and Experimental Performance 2016) A Dybbuk Event (Malthouse Theatre 2016), META (Malthouse Theatre 2014) and Hello There We’ve Been Waiting For You (Next Wave Festival, ACMI 2014).
Samara was mentored by Bruce Gladwin, from Back to Back Theatre Co. through the JUMP National Mentorship Program and later worked as a show director on their production of Super Discount (Sydney Theatre Co. and Malthouse Theatre 2013).
In 2015 Samara was a director in Residence at Malthouse Theatre, and a member of the Melbourne Theatre Company women’s director’s program. She was also a recipient of the Australia Council for the Arts, Artist in residency program at City of Melbourne Arts and Participation. As a teaching artist Samara has worked as a guest lecturer in Performance Studies at Deakin University as well as teaching at Monash University, St Martins Youth Arts Centre, Back to Back Theatre of Speed and Access Inc.
In 2010 Samara was a recipient of the British Council Realise Your Dream Award and in 2015 was a recipient of the Keith and Elisabeth Murdoch Travel Fellowship.