Diane ALISON-MITCHELL
Movement Director | Theatre Choreographer
Re-staging of The Island
April 03, 2017
Diane is currently in rehearsals on The Island, a co-production with Theatre Chipping Norton and the Dukes Lancaster, directed by John Terry. It tours the UK from April to June 2017.
Women's football in focus with Offside
February 27, 2017
Following on from research and development in 2014 and 2015, Offside goes into full production for a UK tour. It takes the hidden history of women's football to the fore. Diane will be providing the movement vocabulary of the football games and the physical language of the storytelling.
Dance, music and circus in Roundelay
January 25, 2017
Diane is joining forces with director Anna Ledwich and writer Sonja Linden for Visible Ensemble. Working with a company of older performers, Roundelay is a heady mix of music, dance and circus. It is inspired by the classic late 19th century play, La Ronde, by Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler.
The Diverse Bard
August 15, 2016
Diane has contributed a chapter, 'Dancing Since Strapped to Their Mother's Backs: Movement Directing on the RSC's African Julius Caesar' in the new publication, Shakespeare, Race and Performance: The Diverse Bard. The cover image is from the RSC's 2015 production of Othello on which Diane movement directed.
They Drink It In The Congo
July 03, 2016
Diane is teaming up with writer Adam Brace and director Michael Longhurst on They Drink It In The Congo, opening at the Almeida Theatre in August 2016.
Marvin Gaye's last days
May 08, 2016
As Associate Movement Director, Diane is beginning work on SOUL, a new co-production from Royal and Derngate and Hackney Empire. It follows the days leading up to the death of celebrated soul singer, Marvin Gaye.
Grace: A Youth Musical
April 09, 2016
GRACE is a collaboration between New Wimbledon Theatre, Merton Music Foundation and local charity WCTT in the London Borough of Merton. Diane is choreographing and developing the movement for this unique, new musical working with 150+ local young people.
Quadrophenia Immersive Experience
February 11, 2016
Diane has been working on bringing to life a live immersive cinematic event of the film, Quadrophenia for Hogarth Productions and AEG Live. With director Edmund Harcourt, Diane will help to create live re-enactments of key moments in the cult classic during its screening at Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith.
The Emperor Jones at LOST Theatre
October 09, 2015
Diane has recently developed the movement vocabulary with the ensemble cast of The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill. It is a LOST Theatre and Aaron Anthony Wallace co-production, directed by Ursula Campbell.
Offside at Summer Festivals
June 17, 2015
Offside is a new play by Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish, with composition by Lilian Henry and movement by Diane. Development work began with Futures Theatre in 2014, and a reworked rehearsed reading is off to Hotbed Festival and LFest in July 2015. It heralds the untold stories and history of women's football.
Spring at the RSC
March 02, 2015
Diane returns to the RSC in Spring 2015 to work on Othello. The RSC will be casting its first black Iago, Games of Thrones actor Lucian Msamati who will play alongside Hugh Quarshie as Othello.
What is a Movement Director?
October 30, 2014
What is a Movement Director is a National Theatre film explaining the key differences between movement direction and choreography and how movement develops its own theatrical language in performance. It features contributions from Diane, Kate Flatt, Imogen Knight and Joseph Alford.
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
July 20, 2014
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama kindly used a testimonial from Diane to help promote its MA Movement: Directing and Teaching course as part of its newly designed website. Diane studied on the course under its original name MA Movement Studies and is now one of its Visiting Lecturers.
Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund Award
June 30, 2014
Diane has achieved another award through The Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund and Dance UK. The Choreographer to Choreographer Awards: supporting artists to support each other benefits the ten choreographers who took part in the Dance UK Choreographic Observerships, enabling them to spend more time with a choreographer of their choice. Diane will continue her work with Liam Steel on the upcoming production of Porgy and Bess at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.
RSC Workshop
January 15, 2014
Diane has had a great start to 2014 workshopping the Merchant of Venice at the RSC with a fabulous cast. She teamed up with Ben Park and Paterson Joseph as creative partners.
Dance UK Award
July 19, 2013
Diane has been awarded the 2013 Dance UK's Choreographers Observership which will offer her time with acclaimed theatre director, choreographer and movement director Liam Steel, to help develop her choreographic and movement directing practice and build a deeper understanding of different working processes and environments.
Italia Conti students prepare for Edinburgh Fringe
May 16, 2013
Diane has been spending time working with second year BA Acting students at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. Two great plays - The Laramie Project and Vernon God Little - and two great casts, directed by Kate Colgrave-Pope. The students will be taking these plays to The Space UK on Niddry Street at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
Julius Caesar off to the US!
April 01, 2013
Diane is back in rehearsals with the RSC as the cast of Julius Caesar prepare to head off to New York and Ohio for its US tour.
Dance UK's Featured Choreographer
October 30, 2012
Following an interview with Dance UK, Diane was the featured choreographer for October 2012. She discusses working on The Island at the Young Vic Theatre and taking part in Dance UK's Choreographers Observerships which gives dance artists the chance to learn from each other to develop their craft.