Natalie Katsou
Natalie Katsou is a theatre director, a playwright and a dramaturg based in London.
She has been the co-founder and artistic director of Operaview (UK, 2014-17) and En Spoudi (Greece, 2006-09). At Operaview, she produced and directed contemporary opera with a focus on performing and visual arts, establishing international collaborations with circus art performers, dancers, photographers and musicians. Her production of Maria de Buenos Aires premiered at Grimeborn Festival 2016 and was later invited at the Bartokplusz Opera Festival at the National Theatre of Miskolc, Hungary, receiving standing ovations (2017). At En Spoudi (Greece, 2006-09), Natalie wrote and directed her first play, ‘The Wedding Dress’ at the Empty Space of the National Theatre of Greece (2006), followed by acclaimed productions of new writing and poetry at a range of non-conventional venues, such as Eilissos Theatre, and prestigious festivals, such as Athens Theatre Action 2 (2007) and Ermoupoleia Festival in Syros (2008).
ABOUT
Natalie has directed plays for the stage in London, Athens, Istanbul, and she has curated important festivals promoting contemporary playwriting, including the 6+1 Greek Voices Festival produced by Theatre Lab Company at Riverside Studios (2014) and the Tribute to Chrysa Spilioti at Theatre Stathmos for the International Analogion Festival 2019, with seven productions directed by seven women directors, performing on the same day.
She has also worked in various positions at some of the most vibrant cultural and artistic environments internationally. One such example was her position as an Assistant Director and a Company Manager for the production of Mare Rider by Layla Nazli with Kathryn Hunter at the Europe Now Tour (directed by Mehmer Ergen, produced by Arcola Theatre, 2013) touring across Sweden and Germany.
Natalie’s plays have all met the stage and the topics she discusses in her work focus on gender and identity, neurodiversity, culture and belonging, as well as concepts of justice. She has also written plays for children and young people on commission. She has also published 5 poetry collections: ‘The Desert Behind’ – a photo-poetry book in collaboration with Yiannis Katsaris (bilingual in Greek and English, 2019), Idolaters (Kapa Publications, 2019), Nymphalidae (Kedros, 2015), Cochlea (Kedros, 2012, nominated for the Anagnostis Award), Magodos (Kastaniotis, 2008, nominated for the Diavazo Award).
Natalie is a theatre and drama lecturer, teaching at Goldsmiths, London Metropolitan University and Rose Bruford College for Theatre and Performance. For more details on her academic work, please visit: https://www.gold.ac.uk/theatre-performance/staff/katsou-natalie/ and https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/profiles/staff/natalie-katsou/ .
