Director and Writer
Born in Texas, grew up in Vienna, bilingual. Trained as an actress at the Max Reihardt Seminar. First contract at the Landestheater Salzburg, then left Europe for the blue skies of Australia. Took up writing film scripts and theatre directing, then returned to Europe in 1992. She has been working in major theatres continuously since then.
THE THEATRE DIRECTOR:
Beverly Blankenship prefers new plays – the work of living authors. She directs plays in big State Companies, as well as for Fringe Theatres, experimenting with new ideas.
Blankneship´s next productions:
ROMEO AND JULIET for the Hanoi Youth Theatre (2019)
WASSERFÄLLE VON SLUNJ, an adaptation of Doderer´s novel for the Festspiele Reichenau (2020)
She received the Skraup Prize for her production of Howard Barker´s SCENES OF AN EXECUTION (Volkstheater Wien). Also at the Volkstheater CLARA S. by Nobel Prize Winner Elfriede Jelinek.
Her production of Godber´s BOUNCERS (Theater Drachengasse, Vienna) was invited to Moscow
She directed Tankred Dorst´s MERLIN twice (Staatstheater Saarbrücken, Landestheater Salzburg)
She produced Daraini´s MARIA STUARDA twice (Theater Drachengasse, Vienna, Arge Nonntal, Salzburg)
Beverly worked as dramaturg and script editor for the Australian Film Council and Playworks (Ros Horin), and worked as a panel member of the funding body of the Australian Arts Council.
She received an award for her work in theatre from the Goverment of Lower Austria.
She founded a new company, DRAMATIC SERVICES, to develop and produce VIVACE, an experimental music theatre piece which was developed by six actors, five authors, two directors (with Thea Brejzek) and five composers and produced at the Schauspielhaus, Vienna.
With her daughter Jessica Gerger she developed MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX. This production was seen in London, Vienna, at the Adelaide Festival and the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Their production of MRS T AND THE PLASTIC PROBLEM is touring schools in Melbourne.
As long as there are plenty of new plays to direct she also enjoys working on the classics:
Shakespeare (HAMLET, Sydney, AS YOU LIKE IT, Staatstheater Saarbrücken, Salzburger Landestheater, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Volkstheater Vienna)
Schiller (JUNGFRAU VON ORLEANS, Staatstheater Saarbrücken)
Schnitzler (WEITES LAND, ZWISCHENSPIEL, DER EINSAME WEG, PROFESSOR BERNHARDI, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Festspiele Reichenau)
Racine (PHEDRE; Volkstheater Wien)
and many others.