Back with more brand new episodes for 2021, Nottingham Playhouse’s Amplify Producer Craig Gilbert chats to artists of national and international renown in our Amplify podcast series. These conversations cover career and process as well as offering a few ideas to explore from home during this time of social distancing.

This week Craig is chatting to Sam Hodges, a theatre director, artistic director and producer with over 15 years’ experience across the not-for-profit and commercial sectors.

A few years after graduating from Cambridge University, he founded the HighTide Festival Theatre which grew into one of the country’s leading new writing companies. He was Artistic Director for five years, during which time he produced early work by the leading writers and directors of his generation – including writers Nick Payne, Sam Holcroft, Ella Hickson and Beth Steel, and directors Mike Longhurst, Polly Findlay and Natalie Abrahami.

Highlights include Stovepipe - which was co-produced with the National Theatre and named one of The Sunday Times ‘Ten Best Theatre Productions of the Decade’ - and Ditch,which opened the Old Vic Tunnels. In 2009, Sam was named in Esquire Magazine’s 60 Brilliant Brits for shaping British theatre. Between 2012 and 2014, he was invited by Stephen Fry and Sally Greene to become the Creative Producer for the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End.

More recently, Sam was Artistic Director of Nuffield Southampton Theatres (NST) where he built on his reputation for commissioning new plays and musicals. Highlights include international award-winning tours of Fantastic Mr Fox the Musical and Billionaire Boy the Musical, London transfers for A Number to the Young Vic and SS Mendi to the Royal Opera House, and world premieres of The Shadow Factory by Howard Brenton and an adaptation of the Coen Brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy. After his first season in charge, NST was named Regional Theatre of the Year and Sam has been named in the Stage 100 power list for the last 4 years.

As a director, his productions for NST include The Audience (nominated Best Design & Best Actress, UK Theatre Awards), The Shadow Factory (nominated Best Design, UK Theatre Awards), Dedication,and The Glass Menagerie (nominated Best Director, UK Theatre Awards). He has also written two short films, Player (nominated Best Short: Raindance Film Festival, Miami Short Film Festival) and Double Take (commissioned by BAFTA and Big Dance for Channel 4: Dance on Camera Festival 2013 ) which he also directed.