Visiting Professional & Education Work
In addition to her varied professional composing and musical direction engagements, Zara has worked extensively in music and theatre education over nearly twenty years and has specialised in major large-scale devising and performance projects both in the UK and internationally. Along with traditional teaching in drama school and musical theatre actor training settings, her experience ranges from work with pre-school right through to undergraduate and adult education, covering specialist areas including, devising music theatre (bespoke projects, commissioned projects and visiting artist engagements), devising opera, songwriting, composition, harmony, part-singing, Musical Theatre and singing for adults.
From early 2017, she made the decision to move away from the education strand of her career in order to focus all of her time solely on her own writing and commissions.
Since that time, although behind the scenes, she has continued to make contibutions to the education field through such things as designed online resourses, specialist workshops, and other consultations on projects, she does remain committed to her writing, so unfortunately is unavailable for work on the kind of projects listed below, but if you’d like any further information about any of these past projects themselves, please do get in touch.
MOST RECENT
ARTS EDUCATIONAL SCHOOLS
Singing Tutor, Musical Director
MA Actors 2016 & 2017
Course Director Dierdre McLoughlin
YARICO EDUCATION PROGRAMME
Musical Director for the Actors’ Company (2016) & Music Workshop Consultant (ongoing)
TRESTLE THEATRE COMPANY 2016
Director Emily Gray
SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARVES
Composer, Lyricist, Musical Director, Workshop Facilitator, Video Producer, Video Editor
LONDON BOROUGH OF HILLINGDON MUSIC HUB in partnership with COMPASS THEATRE 2015
Songwriting Commission, Outreach project, Film Production
Commissioned to:
- Write the words and music for the Dame’s song for Compass Theatre’s production of ‘Snow White & the Seven Dwarves’ according to the director’s brief.
- Deliver an outreach project consisting of primary school devising workshops, where the children created some of their own material as well as learned my song, which was called ‘Perfect Pie’.
- Make, produce and edit a film of the children presenting their creations and singing their version of the song. The films were then shown every day of the professional show’s run during the interval.
BBC RADIO 1 ACADEMY
Musical Director, Workshop Facilitator
Part of RADIO 1’s BIG WEEKEND, Norwich 2015
Songwriting Masterclass with special guest star ELLA EYRE
With 30 participants, plus house-band. Facilitated a two-hour songwriting devising workshop which culminated in the creation of a group song that was performed with Ella Eyre. For more information, please read the press article ‘Masterclass was highlight of academy’s visit’, written in response to the event by singer-songwriter Lisa Redford.
Royal Central School of Speech & Drama
Between 2005 and 2014, Zara was a Visiting Professional member of staff at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. During that time she worked on numerous shows for the BA Drama & Applied Theatre in Education (DATE) course (definitions below), namely the first-year Directed Production unit, which included the public productions that went to the Minack Theatre, Porthcurno each year as part of the much sought after schools fortnight season. After a restructuring of the unit, there were several smaller DP shows made either in tandem with the Minack show or as separate entities that did Under 5’s tours of Cornwall, featured as part of the Fuse Festival (Medway, Kent), and undertook a school’s tour in and around Oldham, amongst other locations. For BA (DATE), Zara also undertook work on some of the the second-year Playtext units which was a studio-based performance project. Elsewhere at the school she also completed projects between 2008 and 2010 for the School of Professional & Community Development (SPCD). The Directed Productions were devised and created over eight weeks. As well as being MD, Orchestrator, Arranger and composing/writing a vast amount of additional and supporting material for these shows, Zara was responsible for facilitating an intensive two-week period in devised composition and song writing prior to rehearsals, that produced the foundation of musical material and songs for the final production, with the students from the cast who had pre-selected music as their craft specialism. They often included and incorporated a broad range of skills and music performance techniques, including actor-musician work and the use of junk/found instruments.
for SPCD. Based on the Weimar Republic, Kurt Weil, Bertolt Brecht & agit.prop theatre.
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
International Schools Theatre Association
Between 2011 and 2015, Zara was on the artist team for the International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA). During that time she worked on several of their international arts events including theatre festivals (listed below), delivering work as part of their exciting Artist-in-Residence programme, delivering masterclasses at their TaPs events (Theatre & Performance Symposium) and delivering teacher workshops. As a global arts organisation, ISTA produces over 50 international arts events each year for young people, teachers and artists and provide world-leading International Baccalaureate teacher training.
Music Ensemble Leader
NIST International School
BANGKOK November 2015
THEATRE TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Artistic Director
Michael Westberg
Four-day theatre festival.
An ISTA Connects Festival. Leading and facilitating devised music with an assigned ensemble to be integrated into a final performance piece with work made in response to our visits to some of the Community & Social enterprises helping vulnerable children & adults in Bangkok. These visits included a trip to the Concordia Day Care Centre in the heart of the Bang Na Slums. (Around 100 festival participants).
Artistic Director
Le Chataigneraie, International School of Geneva
GENEVA October 2015
DYING FOR A MUSICAL
Artistic Director
Zara Nunn
Four-day theatre festival.
Artistic Director for a devised musical, where three ensembles devised music and songs that were integrated into a final performance piece made using the stimulus of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Lake Geneva. Also responsible for developing the artistic inspiration materials in consultation with the host and in response to the previously agreed starting point. (Around 75 festival participants).
Music Ensemble Leader
Vienna International School
VIENNA 2015
CITY OF DREAMS
Artistic Director
Daniel Sarstedt
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised music with an assigned ensemble to be integrated into a final performance piece made in response to city of Vienna framed by elements of Freud’s dream theory with around 100 participants.
Musical Director
Dresden International School
DRESDEN 2015
BRIDGES
Artistic Director
Louise Clark
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised song and music across five ensembles for a promenade sharing performance with around 120 participants.
Musical Ensemble Leader
British School of the Netherlands
THE HAGUE 2015
ART AS ILLUSION
Artistic Director
Jess Thorpe
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised song and music with an assigned ensemble culminating in a promenade performace inspired by the work of M.C. Escher across three disciplines with around 60 participants.
Musical Director
American International School of Budapest
BUDAPEST 2014
THE WHITE STAG
Artistic Director
Daniel Sarstedt
Four-day theatre festival
Responsible for leading and facilitating devised song and music across four ensembles for a live-streamed performance with around 140 participants.
Musical Ensemble Leader
Verdala International School
MALTA 2014
HIDDEN
Artistic Director
Dinos Aristidou
Four-day theatre festival
Responsible for leading and facilitating devised song and music across four ensembles for a live-streamed performance with around 140 participants.
Musical Ensemble Leader
Victoria Shanghai Academy HK
HONG KONG 2013
LEGEND HAS IT
Artistic Director
Sherri Sutton
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised song and music with an assigned ensemble to be integrated into a final performance piece with 190 participants.
Musical Ensemble Leader
Copenhagen International School at the Frilandsmuseet
COPENHAGEN 2013
WHO LIVES IN A HOUSE LIKE THIS?
Artistic Director
Alan Hayes
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised song and music with an assigned ensemble for a site-specific, site-responsive promenade performance with 90 participants.
Musical Ensemble Leader
French International School HK
HONG KONG 2013
MEMORIES
Artistic Director
Dinos Aristidou
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised song and music with an assigned ensemble to be integrated into a final performance piece with 180 participants.
Musical Ensemble Leader
North London Collegiate School, Jeju Island
JEJU ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA 2012
THE ISLE IS FULL OF NOISES
Artistic Director
Jess Thorpe
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised song and music with an assigned ensemble to be integrated into a final performance piece with 180 participants.
Musical Ensemble Leader
International School of Brussels
BRUSSELS 2012
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
Artistic Director
Rebecca Bell
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised drama and song with an assigned ensemble inspired by the work of Renee Magritte to be integrated into a final performance piece with 160 participants.
Musical Ensemble Leader
Dresden International School
DRESDEN 2011
ALL THIS HAPPENED MORE OR LESS
Artistic Director
Jez Greg
Four-day theatre festival
Leading and facilitating devised song and music with a 26 member music ensemble based on the themes from Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
Idle Chatter Theatre Company
Between 2008 & 2010 Zara was commissioned to deliver various bespoke music theatre devising projects under her company name ‘Idle Chatter Theatre Company’.
Director, Musical Director, Composer, Producer
TURN IT OFF!
2010
The Bluecoat School, Stamford
Suported and funded by Creative Partnerships.
Devised musical commissioned by the school for 60 children in years 4,5 and 6. Based on the theme of Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, the piece was devised, created composed and performed from scratch all within 9 days.
Director, Musical Director, Composer, Producer
TELL ME A STORY…
2009
Lincolnshire Music Service
commissioned & funded by LMS for their Extended Schools provision.
Three-day devised music theatre project & performance involving selected students from 8 schools within the Branston extended schools cluster.
Director, Musical Director, Composer, Producer
TELL ME A STORY…
2009
Lincolnshire Music Service
commissioned & funded by LMS for their Extended Schools provision.
Two consecutive two-day devised music theatre project & performance involving selected students from 7 schools within firstly the Stamford and secondly the Spalding extended schools clusters.
Director, Musical Director, Composer, Co-Producer
TELL ME A STORY, SING ME A SONG
2008
Monk’s Abbey Primary School
in partnership with Lincoln Drill Hall
Pilot project. Three-day devised music theatre project & final performance at Lincoln Drill Hall.
English Pocket Opera Company
Between 2004 & 2008 Zara worked as a Visiting artist, MD and Workshop Leader specialising in composition, devised opera, and devised music for film for English Pocket Opera Company.
THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES 2008
Director Mark Tinkler
The Britten Theatre
Royal College of Music
Six weeks of artist residencies in 14 schools covering five workshop outcomes. Each school then either performed in the final professional production or had their outcomes presented/displayed at the theatre.
EPOC at BRENTFIELD 2006
Co-Director Michael Roulston
Brentfield School
Wembley
Six week project involving 240 children from year 3-6 devising and introducing opera.
Visitng Composer, Musical Director
EPOC at THE JUNCTION 2006
Directors Various
The Junction Theatre
Cambridge
Week-long intensive devised opera based on the themes and story of The Magic Flute.
Visitng Composer, Musical Director
THE MAGIC FLUTE 2006
Director Mark Tinkler
Broadway Theatre
Barking
Six weeks of artist residencies in 30 schools covering seven workshop outcomes, including a devised element. Each school then either performed in the final professional production or had their outcomes presented/displayed at the theatre.
Visitng Composer, Musical Director
I PAGLIACCI (THE CLOWNS) 2006
Director Mark Tinkler
Millfield Theatre
Enfield
Six weeks of artist residencies in 30 schools covering three workshop outcomes, including a devised element. Each school then performed in the final professional production.
Visitng Composer, Musical Director
I PAGLIACCI (THE CLOWNS) 2004
Director Mark Tinkler
Cochrane Theatre
London
Six weeks of artist residencies in 30 schools covering three workshop outcomes, including a devised element. Each school then performed in the final professional production.
Oldham Theatre Workshop
Musical Director, Composer
ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS 2008
A series of 3 one-day music theatre and devising workshops for primary schools.
Musical Director, Composer
THE LINE 2007
One in July, one in August.
Two separate week-long intensive musical theatre devising projects.
Musical Director, Composer
SUMMER SCHOOL at LIMEHURST 2006
Week-long intensive musical theatre devising project.
Musical Director, Composer
RED HOT 2005
Week-long intensive musical theatre devising project.
National Youth Music Theatre
Musical Director, Singing Specialist
AUTUMN OPEN TASTER WORKSHOPS 2008
Open workshops for students considering auditioning for NYMT.
Musical Director, Singing Specialist
SUMMER OPEN TASTER WORKSHOPS 2008.
Open workshops for students considering auditioning for NYMT.
Eastside Educational Trust
Musical Director, Workshop Facilitator
ISLINGTON MUSICAL THEATRE PROJECT 2003
15 week course. Also Lead Facilitator & Co-director for final masterclass day bringing four centres together for a joint performance.
Final performance: City & Islington College.
Musical Director
MUSICAL THEATRE SUMMER UNIVERSITY 2003
Week-long intensive for 13-19 year olds.
Final performance at The Old Vic.
Other Projects (Various)
Vocal Tutor, Musical Director
SINGING FOR FUN 2009
Designed & delivered a ten-week singing course for onsite employees.
For EnjoyWork.com Chiswick Business Park
Musical Director, Composer
TELLING TALES 2005
Cross-cultural education project. Taking traditional stories from Chinese, Indian, and African culture, and devising a retelling of them with four primary school groups during artist residencies. They were then performed in with full costume, lights and set on the theatre’s main stage at the end of the project. Zara also delivered a teachers’ INSET session during this project.
Director Fiona Ross for Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, Education & Outreach department.
Vocal Tutor
TEENAGE KICKS 2003
Theatre Royal Bath
Foundation Theatre Course.