Jonathan Martin

JONATHAN MARTIN
ACTING FOR CAMERA TEACHER
AND FILM MAKER

Jonathan Martin trained as a director at DRAMA CENTRE, LONDON graduating in 1979, and then gained an MA IN FILM STUDIES from the UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER in 1998. He has taught acting and directing at many Drama schools, including ROSE BRUFORD COLLEGE , where he ran the Directors' Course between 1996 and 1998. Since working again as a freelance he has become one of the UK's TOP SPECIALIST in running and devising ACTING FOR CAMERA training programmes working at DRAMA CENTRE LONDON, RADA, EAST 15 ACTING SCHOOL, MOUNTVIEW THEATRE ACADEMY, ITALIA CONTI and the ACADEMY OF LIVE AND RECORDED ARTS. where he was the Senior Tutor in Rcorded Arts. He is currently Course Director of the BA Hons. Directing course at DRAMA CENTRE LONDON which is part of Central St Martins College of Art and Design.

He has directed over a dozen short films, several for his own film company GANGWAY FILMS , including HANDS UP! starring TIMOTHY SPALL and DANIELA NARDINI (which received support from the National Lottery, administered by the Arts Council.) He is currently developing two screenplays : COASTING , a coming-of-age road movie set in Yorkshire and the North East, and HOLA BALLYMOURNE! a culture clash comedy centring around two flamenco artists who unexpectedly find themselves in Northern Ireland. He has received research money from the UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, LONDON to produce and direct a film HARD HAT about an encounter between a refugee from Chechnya and a former Yorkshire miner.

As a theatre director he has directed over thirty productions in this country and abroad including many new and contemporary plays at theatres which include the CRUCIBLE THEATRE, SHEFFIELD, LIVERPOOL PLAYHOUSE, HALF MOON THEATRE, SOHO POLY and the GATE THEATRE, LONDON. He won the FRINGE FIRST AWARD for his production of MOBILE 4 by STEPHEN JEFFREYS at the EDINBURGH FESTIVAL . He was Associate Director at the THEATRE ROYAL, STRATFORD EAST and the CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION TEATRAL in Lima, Peru where he devised and directed plays in Spanish. During this time he also translated plays from Spanish and French. His performed translations include BLOOD WEDDING by GARCIA LORCA , THE FALSE SERVANT and THE DISPUTE by MARIVAUX . For his company GANGWAY FILMS has directed several short films which have been screened at both national and international film festivals. He has also produced and directed many educational videos on subjects ranging from Yoga, Vegetarian Cooking to Learning the Violin.