Merle Wheldon
Merle Wheldon is an award-winning London-based theatre director represented by
Casarotto & Ramsay Associates.
WINNER of The John Fernald Award for Emerging Director 2025
WINNER Bitesize Award for Best Director 2025
NOMINATED for Broadway World Awards UK/West End Best Director 2025/26
NOMINATED for Broadway World Awards UK/West End Best Production of a New Play 2025/26
Photography by Pip Bourdillon
SELECTED REVIEWS:
The direction of Wheldon is sharp, energetic, and phenomenally uncomfortable in all the right ways
- The Theatre Reviewer, FLUSH, 5 stars
It's a credit to Miller and Wheldon that they opt for for a nuanced depiction of female relationship. A standout comedy… something extraordinary.
- Theatre Weekly, FLUSH, 5 stars
Director Merle Wheldon paces the piece beautifully, winding it forward with precision. Dialogue flows like a stream of consciousness, punctuated by moments of startling clarity. An exceptional example of what fringe theatre can achieve
- Theatre Weekly, The Watch, 5 stars
Merle Wheldon masterfully brings together set, lighting, and sound design to create an intimate yet cohesive world.
- A Young(ish) Perspective, The Watch, 5 stars
Merle Wheldon's direction is well-nigh perfect
- London Theatre 1, The Watch, 5 stars
Merle Wheldon directs with vision and sensitivity, bringing the buzzy script to life tightly and effectively. Laugh-out-loud funny, heartfelt, and sincere, FLUSH is an ode to the holiness of the women’s bathroom and the importance of sisterhood.
- BingeFringe, FLUSH, 5 stars
The Watch is masterful storytelling that only happens when a creative team understands each other and works together to bring the vision to life.
- The New Current, The Watch, 4 stars
Merle Wheldon’s brilliant direction
- All That Dazzles, Da Vinci's Laundry, 4 stars
Merle Wheldon’s direction shines
- West End Best Friend, Da Vinci's Laundry, 4 stars
Merle Wheldon’s taut production fizzes with humour
- The Stage, Da Vinci's Laundry
SELECTED AWARDS:
2025 WINNER
John Fernald Award for Emerging Director
Merle has been Co-Artistic Director of Bomb Factory Theatre since 2021. Bomb Factory Theatre is a women-led New Writing Community Interest Company in partnership with the Bomb Factory Art Foundation. They have been featured in The Telegraph, The Stage, and The Economist for their contributions to the world of women’s writing. Through this partnership, BFT utilises the Art Foundation’s gallery spaces across London to host workshops, Q&As, and networking events, as well as transform these spaces into theatres to platform work by the women and non binary writers they collaborate with. Bomb Factory Theatre also works with other venues across London and bought their Showcase of Women's New Writing to the Bush Theatre in Spring 2025.
For Bomb Factory enquiries, please email: hello@bombfactorytheatre.com