Thea Sharrock: Answer The Questions!

Thea Sharrock, 26, is the out-going artistic director of London's Southwark Playhouse. After leaving Oxford University, Sharrock won the prestigious James Menzies-Kitchin Memorial Award for young directors and has since directed Top Girls at the BAC, Free at the National Theatre's Loft and most recently, a successful touring production of The Deep Blue Sea starring Harriet Walter

How's your production of A Doll's House coming along?

Early days yet...

What made you decide to pick that play as your last for Southwark Playhouse?

I wanted to do a classic text to celebrate Southwark's 10th anniversary. Nora's journey is one I have always been drawn to and one I thought would sit perfectly in the intimacy of Southwark.

Southwark has made quite a name for itself over the last 10 years. What are your fondest memories of your time there?

The many laughs in the office, and the day London Arts called to say we had been awarded two-year fixed-term funding.

And your worst?

The day I sat on the only radiator in the office and felt it come away in my hands... It was a very cold winter that year.

You're the youngest artistic director currently in charge of a theatre. Has your age helped or hindered your work for Southwark, or has it made no difference at all?

I am who I am, obviously my age has to play a part in that.

At what point in your life did you decide theatre directing was for you?

I suppose spending time at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg during my gap year, where I ran around being an assistant to anyone who needed one, cemented the dream.

The Guardian profiled you in their "50 women to watch" article recently and the Standard featured you in their "100 Brightest Young Things" list. Does that sort of thing buoy you up or make you feel under pressure?

They make me smile. It's very flattering, but not to be believed.

Your path into directing seems enviably smooth but you've pointed out that this country isn't very good at nurturing young directors. Do you see any signs of improvement in that area and what kind of system would you like to see implemented?

Certainly some theatres are addressing the issue - most notably the Young Vic - but it still remains a bit of a mystery to me how young directors are supposed to find the £10,000 needed to put on a fringe show?

Did winning the James Menzies-Kitchin Memorial Award open a lot of doors for you?

Yes. It gave me the chance to direct my first show (Top Girls at the BAC). Without it I cannot imagine how I would have started.

You worked for Peter Hall on The Fight for Barbara over the summer. Who learnt the most from whom do you think?

You'll have to ask him that. But Peter's enthusiasm and love for theatre is infectious: to have the energy he has after 50 years at the top of his business is an inspiration.

What's the plan after A Doll's House and Southwark? Are you hoping to branch out into, say, film directing, or writing of some sort?

Who knows what will happen? I hope to do more theatre, but never say never to anything, eh?

'A Doll's House': Southwark Playhouse, London SE1 (020 7620 3494), Tue to 29 Nov