ALEX AUSTIN PROJECTS

THEATRE MAKER AND DRAMATURG

Alex doing his stuff

Photo: Brian Hartley

ABOUT


Alex is an artist from East London who’s practice lives at the intersection of performance and dramaturgy.

He is interested in the shifting perspectives of building characters up close, bigger picture work of how stories are made and how they are shaped in collaboration.

He has 15 years experience as a performer in the UK and internationally; an established freelance script reading practice for theatre organisations across the country; is a trusted collaborator in research and development projects from first drafts to pre-production.

What people have said

"Alex is a delight to work with both as an actor and as a dramaturg. He is highly intelligent and thrillingly intuitive in his approach to text, while also being a deeply empathetic and personable collaborator. His commitment to helping a play or indeed a character be the best version of itself it can be is second to none, but he works with a light touch. He's an artist through and through, and he therefore instinctively understands that process leads to results, and the job of an actor and a dramaturg is to help make the process as good as it can be. All to say, working with Alex feels lovely. You get lots of energy, lots of heart, and he's always coming up with brilliant ideas to help the thing you're doing reach the next level. I'd recommend working with Alex to any and everyone. I can't wait to work with him again. "
Daniel GoldmanWriter and Director
"I've always been impressed by Alex's ability to both inhabit a play and 'meet' it as its spectator. He combines excellent analytical skills with great theatre instincts, and honest incisiveness with generosity and kindness. He's a joy to work with"
Pamela CarterWriter and Dramaturg
"Alex is formiddable, most genius's are. Their astute observations and crisp details bring a real authenticity to any rehersal room. They have an extremley big heart which lends itself to their point of view- an empath of great humour and humanity. They have their own flare when it comes to interpreting critque and can make the leap from actor to dramaturg in a heartbeat. I've witnessed them in real time, acting profoundly in a scene and then offering sharp insights on the script straight afterwards - a skill that comes with an artist who is not only good at what they do but passionate about it also. Alex is someone you need in any rehearsal room regardless of whether they are acting in it or not. "
babirye bukilwaWriter and Actor
"Alex is not just the real deal, he's the full meal. He is an artist, mentor, and companion who is uniquely capable of shifting between roles, across forms and levels of 'experimentalism', and also across roles within those forms. Perhaps because he is expert at so many things, Alex is really deft at knowing when he can usually step into a certain role and when to allow others to fill that space. Above all, he is sensitive to the human needs of each team member, and he's attentive to what he can do to attend to those needs. And he's also funny, very funny. A collaborator through and through."
Jim ManganelloCo-Artistic Director of Shotput, Director, Movement Director and Dramaturg
"I've worked with Alex on several projects as both an actor and dramaturg. What I love about having Alex in the room is the way he combines a laser sharp dramaturgical eye with an understanding of emotional authenticity and truth. He will gently question and challenge the decisions you've made, often giving a perspective you've not yet considered, whilst helping you get to the very heart of what you want to say. "
Natalie Mitchell Writer
"Alex is one of those rare people who is both seriously intelligent and ferociously funny, which makes working with him a joy. His ideas are sharp and generous, always rooted in care for the work and the people in the room. His instinctive grasp of story and structure opens conversations up so effortlessly that you come away seeing the work more clearly, your own thinking sharpened by his insight and curiosity"
Oliver Wellington Actor and Writer
"I’ve worked with Alex across theatre and television development, and his dramaturgical insight is sharp, generous, creatively rigorous, and good humoured. He brings a combination of performance intelligence and structural thinking, able to hold the big picture while also attending closely to character. He asks the right questions, listens carefully, and helps ideas move from exploration into clear, articulate form. I’ve found his input invaluable in developing work and he has a rare ability to support others in finding their own creative voice."
Adam Scott Rowley Theatre Maker and Writer
"I worked with Alex when he joined an R and D for my play 'King Troll (The Fawn)' in 2025. Alex was cast in a particularly demanding role, that of the fawn, a shape-shifting, non-human character. Alex threw himself into both the physicality and internal life of the fawn and helped me, the director Milli Bhatia, and the movement director Iskandar Sharazuddin land on how the character should move and develop over the course of the play. He got under the political and moral complexity of the script and asked questions that pushed the development of the play in brilliant and unexpected ways. He was friendly and supportive to the rest of the cast and team and generous and collaborative throughout. I loved working with Alex and would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone looking for a thoughtful, talented and intelligent performer for their project. "
Sonali Battacharyya
"I’ve had the privilege of working with Alex a number of times over the past 15 years. He is a deeply intelligent, thoughtful and generous collaborator, with incredibly exciting artistic instincts and a real skill for crafting and distilling meaning and story through text. He brings such a wide range of experiences into the room having been an actor and facilitator for many years, and is a source of constant inspiration, brilliant ideas and massive joy in any and every room! "
Emily Lim Director and former associate artist at the National Theatre
"Alex's dramaturgical instincts are sublime. He asks the questions that get under the skin of a play, and really help writers get closer to the nub of what they are trying to say. "
Guy Jones Director, dramaturg and New Work Associate at Shakespeare's Globe
"Alex is one of a small cohort of excellent dramaturgical collaborators I call upon when I want to rigorously and constructively explore a script or concept. He brings his sharp intelligence and wit to bear in every process.   I have worked with Alex across the past 15 years - originally as a young person at the very start of his career. He is one most astute actors I have had the pleasure to work with. Alex can switch between working instinctively - able to absolutely present in the moment - and working as a collaborator with an incisive dramaturgical eye. He is always sensitive to the needs of a room and the questions being raised by, and asked of, a script.   Alex brings force and light, clarity, thoughtfulness and joy.”  "
Lu Kemp Director and Dramaturg
"Alex has played a part in some of the most exciting British new writing for the last decade- his breadth of bold and inventive acting work speaks for itself.  Not only does he offer audiences extraordinary performances, Alex is also a curious, perceptive and supportive member of a dramaturgical team. He reads new scripts for many theatres, which has enabled him to hone his craft as an excellent dramaturge. Alex has an excellent eye for detail, he is naturally playful and a wonderful team member, which makes developing a script with him precise, fun, collaborative and beautiful."
Jay Miller founder and artistic director of the Yard theatre
"Alex is one of the smartest and most dramaturgically astute actors and theatre makers I've worked with. He is an instinctive, bold and inventive presence in the room as an actor. An incredibly intelligent reader and noter of plays. And a brilliant thinker about the values and structures with which we make theatre. I'm always excited to know what he's working on."
Sam Pritchard Director, former head of international at Royal Court Theatre