Education and brief c.v. Alison was educated at Clifton High School in Bristol. She has a degree in English from St. Annes's College Oxford University, and a Post-graduate Diploma in Theatre Studies from the University of Cardiff. She began her career working for John Barton at the Royal Shakespeare Company. She worked at Harrogate Theatre under an Arts Council Trainee Bursary scheme, staying on there as Resident Director. She returned to the RSC, first as an Assistant Director, and subsequently directing her own shows for them. She has founded two theatre companies, Cotswold Theatre Group, and the Bridge House Company and is currently founding a new company in London, BRIDGE.
Teaching/Directing in Drama Schools
Alison Sutcliffe has taught classical text for the RSC's Artists' Development Programme,including working with drama students from CDS schools training with the RSC, visting Brett Goldin Bursary actors, and has also included Identity Theatre in London, and many other groups in the Midlands.
She has worked in several top drama schools, including Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (2012-15 Shakespeare module 2nd year), RADA (MA course project on T.S.Eliot), Bristol Old Vic (2nd year classical text module), Rose Bruford, Birmingham School of Acting (2nd year classical text module, Macbeth), RWCMD (2012 /2013/2014 (2nd year classical text, Twelfth Night/Loves' Labours' Lost/Lear). The Actors' Centre London (Shakespeare scene study workshops).
She has directed final year shows at the University of Birmingham Department of Theatre Arts (including Midsummer Night's Dream, The House of Bernada Alba, The Beaux Stratagem, Women Beware Women). From 2001-9 she directed for the annual showcase on the M.Phil in Playwriting, working with professional actors on extracts from the work of students. She has also directed students at the University of Warwick.
From 2005 to 2011 Alison Sutcliffe ran the Bridge Project based at Warwick School, where the programme of professional productions was geared towards currriculum enhancement for Drama and English at secondary level. This involved offering a programme of workshops and teaching sessions linked to productions. She was also instrumental in offering accessible professional work which introduced younger children (year 5 upwards) to theatre.
Alison and her Bridge House Theatre Company of actors contributed to filming material for a Nelson Thorne AQA drama syllabus book/dvd produced by Pat Friday (to be released shortly). This featured Alison's work as director, as well as various approaches to scene study by the actors, who also interacted with students of drama from Warwick School.
She has worked as Shakespeare advisor on a major British Bollywood feature film (Life Goes On/Stormglass Films), directing some short extracts from King Lear, and appearing briefly in the film doing so.
She has done workshops for RSC Young Alumni, for Playbox Theatre, The Actors' Centre, Western State College of Colorado at Gunnison, and coached young actors in classical text on a one to one basis.
September 2011 RSC Conference on Training for the classical theatre