A director making
politically poignant
& personal theatre.
I'm Martha Pardue — currently reading English Literature & Drama at the University of Manchester, and directing work that sits between classical text and politically engaged drama.
My work is drawn to psychological realism, morally ambiguous characters, and stories that press on power, gender and the complexities of human behaviour — classical theatre and political drama that pair emotional precision with social urgency.
Deep thinker. Curious person. Heart and soul into every project.
Trained as an actor at Identity School of Acting (IDSA) — screen and stage, voice, movement, physical theatre and script analysis. Six short films as actor (one nominated for the Liverpool Indie Awards) and three as script supervisor sharpened a critical relationship to text and a discipline for the room.
The Duchess of Malfi — adapted through a feminist lens. Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl — a classical retelling. Shakeyourspear2026 — a sold-out Shakespeare showcase at Victoria Baths, 40+ collaborators, twelve extracts, 250+ audience, four weeks.
See the full body of work →
Selected for the Career Paths Workshop at the Donmar Warehouse; currently on a directing course at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts with Barry Fitzgerald. Workshops with Tim Supple (East 15) and Pliable Theatre's Giulia Grillo.
There are still many things in our society that need to be questioned and changed — and storytelling is the most powerful way of doing it.
Facts and figures can only do so much. Theatre lets us feel, empathise, and see through someone else's eyes. That's why I direct — to make work audiences leave thinking differently than when they walked in.