MATTHEW ZAJAC – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
​Matthew is from Inverness. He studied Drama at Bristol University and has worked as an actor for 34 years.  Theatre includes work at the Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Manchester Royal Exchange, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, the Lyric Hammersmith, Bush Theatre and the Young Vic. Most recently, he played Bishop Gornik in the feature film The Crucifixion, directed by Xavier Gens and due for release in 2016.  He also played the title role in Dogstar’s award-winning 2016 Scottish-Danish co-production Mungo Park-Travels in the Interior of Africa, directed by Martin Lyngbo.  He directed Seven Ages (2001), The Seer (2006), ‘e Polish Quine (2007), Jacobite Country (2010), Sweetness (2011) and The Baroness (2013) for Dogstar and wrote and performed The Tailor of Inverness for the company, winning the 2009 Best Actor Award at the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland, a Scotsman Fringe First, the Holden Street Theatres Award and the Stage Award for Best Solo Performer at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe. The Tailor of Inverness went on to run for a month at the 2009 Adelaide Fringe Festival, winning nominations for Best Production and Best Performance.  This production has now had 4 sell-out Scottish tours and has also toured to Denmark, Sweden (twice), Poland, Ukraine (twice), USA, Germany, Wales and Ireland (twice), most recently selling out for 3 weeks at New York’s Brits Off Broadway Festival. Matthew played Ulfheim in When We Dead Awaken for Riksteatern, Vasterbottensteatern (Sweden) & Unity Theatre Liverpool (2008) and he worked for Vasterbottensteatern on the company’s Swedish language production Hohaj in 2011-12.  He was a founder member of London-based Plain Clothes Productions, producing, acting and directing for the company’s six productions in the 1990s. These included the George Devine Award Winner Blue Night in the Heart of the West (1992), A Prick-Song for the New Leviathan, Wolf and Her Sister’s Tongue. As Associate Director of Grey Coast Theatre Company, he directed Camster and the Helmsdale Community play The Great Bunillidh Volcano and appeared in Songs of the Grey Coast & The Niss. Matthew has produced two films, The Beauty of the Common Tool (1st Prize at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival) and the digital feature Gordon Bennett. For Licketyspit, he directed remounts of Molly Whuppie(2003 & 2006); Wee Witches(2005 & 2007); The Christmas Quangle Wangle (2004). Other acting work includes Creon in Antigone (TAG), Joe Saul in Burning Bright (V.amp/Tramway), Long Rob in Sunset Song (Prime Productions), Seven Ages, Sweetness, Factor 9, The Captain’s Collection & The Heretic’s Tale (Dogstar), Karl Marx’s Beard (Arches/Traverse), Mr Hansen in Further Than the Furthest Thing (Prime Productions), and screen appearances in The Planman, Taggart, Inspector George Gently (ITV), Shetland, Still Game, Fiona’s Story, Garrow’s Law, Single Father, One of Us (BBC), High Times (STV), Low Winter Sun, Zastrozzi (C4), and the feature films Valhalla Rising, A Lonely Place To Die, Young Adam & Man To Man. His book, The Tailor of Inverness was published in 2013 by Sandstone Press.