Directing Portfolio
Productions are in chronological order.
To view my assistant directing work, please click here.
Is He Dead? (2013)
By Mark Twain, Adapted by David Ives
Adams Pool Theatre, Harvard University
Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club
Photos by Anna Zhong
“A night of fake mustaches, cross-dressing, revenge, French accents, and staged deaths ensued at Adams Pool Theatre in Mark Twain’s play “Is He Dead?” which ran through Sunday. With clever staging by director Olivia M. Munk ’16 and hilarious acting, the production was intriguing and funny, perfectly executing Twain’s witty script.”
“Is He Dead?” Alive and Well - The Harvard Crimson, October 2013
In Other Words (2014)
An original musical by Mike Ross & Sam Pottash
Loeb Ex Theatre, Harvard University
Harvard-Racliffe Dramatic Club
Photos by Ashley Garrett
“Simultaneously ludicrous and contemplative, the show creates a story that speaks to a generation not used to communicating face-to-face through a combination of excellent acting and directing by Olivia M. Munk ’16…In a musical that is in part about awkward social relations, character interactions must be precise to naturally portray unease; fortunately Munk’s blocking as well as the cast’s interpretation of their respective characters showcase the characters’ discomfort effectively.”
"In Other Words" Finds All the Right Words - The Harvard Crimson, April 2014
The Importance of Being Earnest (2015)
By Oscar wilde
Original Music by Eric Corcoran
Farkas Hall, Harvard University
Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club
Poster By renee zhan, photos by lance katigbak
“Experienced actors and intelligent direction pull through to make it a cleverly delivered, flawlessly timed production built for levity and amusement…This production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a well-timed, well-directed exercise in purposeful cleverness.”
'The Importance of Being Earnest' Brings Wilde to Brooklyn - The Harvard Crimson, October 2015
Hansel and Gretel (2015)
Music by Engelbert Humperdinck
Libretto by Adelheid Wette
Performed in an English translation by Constance Bache
agassiz theatre, Harvard University
Harvard College opera society
Poster By katherine moon
“This candy-sweet tale…presented an impressively layered interpretation of the classic Grimm story…The fluid set changes added a sense of spontaneity, almost magic, to the production—for example, the chorus of forest sprites efficiently dismantled the chairs and tables of Hansel and Gretel’s home and turned the stage into a soft forest clearing in the transition from Act I to Act II.”
Harvard College Opera’s 'Hansel and Gretel' Captivates - The Harvard Crimson, February 2015
H.M.S. Pinafore (2016)
By Gilbert & Sullivan
Agassiz Theatre, Harvard University
Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players
“Olivia Munk’s excellent stage direction elevated a mostly traditional setting of a mostly traditional work by tightening the characters beyond the letter of Gilbert’s somewhat leaky libretto.”
Four Cheers for a Well-Bred Pinafore - The Boston Musical Intelligencer, April 2016
“The show…featured spot-on direction executed by a superb cast, impressively tight orchestration, thoughtful and professionally performed choreography, and a beautiful set and costumes to boot…Munk successfully coached the actors to tease out these social burdens with both wit and flair on stage”
Smooth Sailing for HRG&SP’s H.M.S. Pinafore - The Harvard Crimson, April 2016
Soundbytes
Conceived by Olivia Munk
Produced by Dylan Marcaurele, Taylor Vandick, and Eli Schleicher
Advised by Brian Lowdermilk
Adams Pool Theatre, Harvard University
Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club
“Soundbytes” was an original, student-written songcycle conceived and directed by Olivia Munk in 2016. Over the course of five weeks, student composers and songwriters were advised by award-winning composer Brian Lowdermilk. Mr. Lowdermilk then led students in a one-day writing and composition master class. The students’ work was then performed in the Adams Pool Theatre at Harvard University.
STOP (2017)
A new musical written & composed by Annabelle mutale reed & leo Munby
Pegasus Theatre (Oxford), C South (Edinburgh Fringe), The Cockpit (London)
The Oxford University Dramatic Society
“Taking on depression, anxiety, addiction and the scope of mental illness, yet creating an honest, engaging and ultimately uplifting musical theatre work is extraordinary; a privilege to witness…Direction is wonderfully restrained in keeping with the full sense of the piece.”
-Stop – A New Musical | Edinburgh Festival Fringe, C south, Musical Theatre Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Populist (2019)
by Emma Fenton-Wells
Produced by Jessica Bickel-Barlow - Part of the Night
A new play being developed by Munk, Fenton-Wells and Bickel-Barlow
Work in progress sharing: September 3, 2019 at the Phoenix Arts Club in London, England
Supported by Arts Council England London and Associate Producer Ashley Garrett
Photography by Ashley Garrett Photography.
The Production
You've loved her, you've hated her, and now Octavia is back for a one night retrospective on her life as a career Roman political wife. She's coming to you live from 130BC to tell her story through the pop hits of the 90s. Turns out the gender politics haven't changed much. Through a night of drag, lip syncs and dancing to 1999's Top 40, Octavia shows her fans just how powerful women can be behind the scenes.
Video available upon request.
Read my interview with writer Eleanor Ross in Backstage Magazine, where I discuss how I approached sex and consent in the rehearsal room.
Bloody Mary: LIVE! (2020)
Written & Performed by Olivia Miller
Produced by Part of the Night
Photos by Ashley Garrett Photography
The Production
“Bloody Mary: LIVE!” is an original work created by Olivia Miller and directed by Olivia Munk that reimagines Mary Tudor aka Bloody Mary as a stand-up comedian in 2020. After 500 years of being known as “Bloody Mary,” she takes to the mic to defend her legacy through a stand-up comedy set that’s part-revisionism, part-revenge, and part-coping mechanism for the crippling daddy issues that have plagued her all her life - and in death. She’s mean, she’s queen, get used to it.
Work-in-progress performances: Brown University, June 2019; American Repertory Theatre’s Club Oberon, August 2019; The PIT Underground NYC, January 2020; Greenwich Theatre, LET Shortlist Showcase, London, February 2020
Shortlisted for the 2020 Les Enfants Terribles Award.