Tamar Meskin

Tamar Meskin (196*- ). Academic, stage director and actress.

Biography

She is the daughter of Philip and Paddy Meskin.

Training

Her undergraduate studies were conducted at the University of Natal (Durban) where she graduated cum laude. Awarded the Emma Smith Overseas Scholarship, she then went on to complete her MFA in Acting at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was awarded the Jack Nicholson Prize for Acting.

Career

Lecturer in the Drama and Performance Studies programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal since 1995.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Since returning to South Africa, she has directed over 30 productions, including seven major Shakespearean productions, and most recently she directed Harold Pinter’s The Lover for which she was nominated for a Durban Theatre Award. She has co-written productions and also performs when she can, most recently in Marsha Norman’s 'night, Mother for which she received a nomination for a Durban Theatre Award. She has presented papers most recently at the IFTR Conference in Stellenbosch (2007) and at the 2008 Dramatic Learning Spaces conference. Her primary research areas are directing, and teaching acting, directing, and writing to students, as well as explorations of multi/intercultural performance practices.