Esther Warren, Director
Directing Credits:
They Said My Masculinity Was Toxic But What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger (2026, Carrion Crow)
By Esther Warren
Evening, May, 1994.
The year’s Criminal Justice and Public Order Act has yet to be passed; this encounter is illegal. Let’s watch anyway.
Hosted by the Nottingham Playhouse, this work in progress sharing was the latest staged iteration of a long gestating personal project. I’d worked with actors Laurie Owen and Ken Ogborn previously as fellow actors, as designer and knew that they’d have what it takes to bring these characters off the page.
‘Loved it. Such a dangerous + exciting time to portray’
‘Brilliant blend of drama and comic’
‘Very engaging, felt like a rollercoaster at times’
‘Slow burning, intense, funny & superb’
Feedback from Nottingham Playhouse audience
A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain (2025, Lace Market Theatre)
By Sami Ibrahim
Elif shears sheep, her employer counts the herd. It’s hard to break out of your given role in life but when you’re an immigrant, unregistered, when the country you’re in considers you illegal, it’s damn near impossible. A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain is a contemporary parable of borders, boundaries and what it takes to transcend them in a time when the walls are getting taller and the channels wider.
Produced for Nottingham’s Lace Market Theatre, Sami Ibrahim’s text was a joy to work with and I was blessed by three amazing actors: Payash Raslan, Brandon Hodgkinson and Sam Whitworth who approached the project willing to try anything – no matter how absurd it sounded. I’ll be carrying the experience of working on this project with me for a long time.
Orphan (2018, Black Dog Productions)
By Russell Eccleston, co-directed w/ Gabrielle Finnegan
A young man tries to find some answers, with the help of an old friend, when they return to the orphanage, they grew up in. Encountering another old friend, it seems 'The Flock', who ran the orphanage, have moved on, but have they taken all of their secrets with them? How far will Orphan go to find out?
One of my last pre-transition projects the, ability to work with my co-founder collaborators at Black Dog, Russell Eccleston, Tiffany Rhodes and Tommy Carmichael was a bright point in a dark time. I learned so much from Gabrielle throughout the rehearsal process and owe her unending thanks, she continues to work as a writer, director and actor.
Fear of God (2016, Bath Spa Productions)
By Mark McKenzie
Copenhagen 1518, people are starving, homeless and sick with disease. Marin and Annette have run out of food, they don't know when they will eat again. Meanwhile outside, their neighbours start to dance.
A graduating production from my time at Bath Spa University. I thought at the time that it would mark the end of my learning. Of course, that wasn’t the case, I continue to grow and am grateful for the opportunities to do so.
A Grand Quiet 