A Symphony of Storytelling: A Masterclass with Matthew Xia

In July, we had the immense pleasure of hosting the brilliant director, Matthew Xia, for a truly inspiring session as part of ‘Playful Spaces’ at Mountview. As the final act of the day, Matthew was headlining, and despite the after-lunch slump and the mysteriously vanished air conditioning, he was completely unfazed. Dressed effortlessly cool, clad in Aztec pattern shirt and shorts, he captivated the room, turning what could have been a drowsy afternoon into a vibrant deep dive into his creative process.

One of the most striking things about Matthew’s work is his fixation on sound and rhythm. He doesn’t just direct a play; he conducts it. For Matthew, the script is a musical score, and his job is to find its tempo, its melody, and its moments of silence. He spoke about following Jim Jarmusch’s idea of "spark hunting"—the process of finding those small, unique details that bring a world to life. He encouraged us to "be a thief," taking inspiration from everything and anything.

"What are the sounds in that environment?" he asked, prompting us to think beyond the visual. Clips from his projects, full of unexpected aural textures, were a testament to this philosophy. We saw a clip from his Royal Exchange production of Frankenstein from 2018, which, with its theatrical musicality, genuinely terrified me—a perfect example of a jump-scare in a live setting. He even talked about battling with the council to plunge the stage into complete darkness, briefly covering the fire exit signs. This darkness was then punctuated by a bolt of lightning, both visually and sonically, illuminating the creature screaming on the operating table before, quick as a flash, it was gone again. He challenged us to consider the percussive potential of props, the rhythm of a scene change, and the power of a well-timed crescendo or a moment of profound silence.

One of the most fascinating nuggets of info Matthew shared was about his past life as a DJ. His previous career has clearly fed into his work now, informing his masterful sense of rhythm and musical structure. This revelation serves as a powerful reminder that we all carry our past and external experiences with us into our professional lives, and that seemingly unrelated skills can inform and enrich our creative practices in unexpected ways.

Matthew outlined four creative principals:

  • Directing with Open Ears: Listening is as important as seeing
  • Collaboration: A play is a collective creation
  • A Contract with the Audience: Understanding what you're promising them
  • Musical Structure: Thinking in terms of introductions, codas, refrains, and crescendos

Matthew’s genius lies in his ability to search for rhythm everywhere. The set becomes a playground, a canvas for both visual and percussive expression. He reminded us that in an age of cinematic dominance (citing Avenger’s Endgame) theatre must compete by leveraging its unique strengths. He reassured us that not all rhythm is musical- you can create a soundscape without song. As shown in a clip from his production of Skeleton Crew at The Donmar Warehouse in 2024, a shrewdly timed microwave ding can raise the stakes like that of an atomic bomb.

Ultimately, his message was one of empathy. How do we make the audience feel what the characters feel? How can the performers inhabit their own worlds more fully, creating a more truthful and compelling experience for those watching?

Matthew Xia's session was a powerful reminder that directing is a multi-sensory art. It's about listening, feeling, and finding the rhythm of a story to create a truly unforgettable experience. And as he said, nothing is a rule—it’s all just useful stuff to pop in your party bag!

John Chisham -Senior Schools Outreach Coordinator

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