Matt Harper-Hardcastle

...AT A GLANCE

Matt has been involved in theatre from a very young age. His passion and experience covers a wide range of genres and techniques, ages and abilities. Matt has been working professionally since 2010. This has seen him as an actor, artistic director, acting coach, writer, tutor, dramaturg, producer and programme manager.

...TRAINING AND WORK

Matt's passion for theatre started in Cumbria, where he is originally from and where he acted on stage from the age of 8.  In his teens, Matt was lucky enough to train and work with the National Youth Theatre. Matt moved to York to study and graduated with a First Class (hons) in Performance: Theatre, after which he became the Drama Teacher at Stagecoach Scarborough and Associate Artist (Director, Writer and Actor) for Six Lips Theatre. Matt was the long-standing Co-Artistic Director of Upstage Centre Youth Theatre and Assistant Director for Grand Opera House, York's Stage Experience.  For 5 years Matt was the Artistic Director of Once Seen Theatre Company (a company formed of actors with learning difficulties), Theatre Tutor for Converge (an education programme for mental health service users), and artist for Connecting Youth Culture (creating work with and for young people with learning disabilities). Currently Matt is a Youth Theatre Practitioner for York Theatre Royal, an acting member of Playback Theatre York, Visiting Lecturer in Theatre at York St John University, and the Founder and Artistic Director of  Next Door But One. Matt completed his MA in Applied Theatre in 2018, and was appointed the role of Creative Engagement Manager at Leeds Grand Theatre and then Programme Manager at Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA).

Matt published his first book, The Day the Alien Came in 2019. His work in theatre and mental health has been published in the Palgrave Handbook of Innovative Community and Clinical Psychologies and his theatre-making practice features as a case study in Palgrave Studies in Play, Performance, Learning and Development. 

...AWARDS

- Anne McKeown Award for Excellence and Inspirational Work with Children and Young People 2019.

- Role Model of the Year 2015 (Yorkshire and Humber).

Other work includes: York St John Graduate Prize at York Theatre Royal, Artist Associate for Candoco Dance Companies’ Moving Bodies project,  Huffington Post UK Blogger and is a published article/blog writer on inclusion theory (The Guardian, Scottish Review and York Press).