Tamur Tohver

Tamur Tohver (born May 9, 1969..Mentioned on Estonian Theatre Directors' Union member page: ) is a theatre director, an actor, a performing art practitioner and a researcher, who has accumulated various academic, psychological and performing art experiences. He is the founder of the independent performing art platform Polygon, which amalgamates professional Polygon Theatre and educational Polygon Theatre School. In addition, in 2021 he established the self-development centre Tohver Studio. He is the author of Zero Zone Praxis (2020), a self-cultivation praxis that helps to tackle ego-based conflicts during the rehearsal period and thereby avoid stage fright manifestations in the actor-director dyad. Tamur Tohver is also a personal development coach and yogi. Tohver shares his activities in all fields between United KingdomMentioned at Manchester Metropolitan University Postgraduate Arts and Humanities Centre site , India, United StatesMentioned on University of Central Florida graduate faculty page 
 and Estonia.
==Education==
Tamur Tohver has graduated as a director and actor from Tallinn University (BA,1991) and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (MA, 2003). In 2019-2024, PhD researcher in Performing Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University, the United Kingdom. In 2021-2022, he enriched himself with profound American theatre experience as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar.
==Career==
Tamur Tohver has directed over eighty productionsEstonian Theatre Directors' Union member page: for theatre, TV and radio with high-level professionals, students and community performers. He has been a director for several large multimedia projects and multicultural theatre productions both in the open air and the Tallinn City Hall. He has participated in various international audio and video festivals, worked for EBU, has directed radio plays in Estonian Public Broadcasting ERR, Latvijas RadioMentioned on Latvian University research page 
 and YLE (Finland Public Broadcasting). Tamur Tohver has been the guest director in Auroville Theatre Group and Ranga Shankara (India), Tallinn City Hall, Endla Theatre, Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences, Estonian Drama Theatre etc. Tohver has performed in television, radio theatre and films as a professional actor since 1983, from age thirteen.Watchable on Estonian Public Broadcasting ERR Digital archive He is also a creative writer – there are several articles and publications, theatre and radio dramas, and translations from other authors. He is writing articles for academic journals and columns for different cultural portals.
Tamur Tohver was a member of the performing arts institutions financing policy development expert group in 2017 (Ministry of Culture of Estonia). Tamur is a member of the Estonian Author's Society, Estonian Theatre Union and Estonian Fire Artist Union. He has been Vice-Chairman of the Estonian Director's Union from 2017 to 2019 and a Board member from 2017 to 2021. Tohver is also Trustee at Open Space Performing Arts Centre "Vaba Lava" since 2020
===Zero Zone Praxis===
Zero ZoneMentioned on Taylor and Francis, Stanislavski Studies journal Article in Ecumenica journal Listed on ORCID page offers a methodological approach to stage fright for the director, guiding them to enable actors to improve their performance and explains the dynamics of performing flow and detachment through a daily praxis in which the director will consciously take on the role of a coach.
This preventive idiosyncratic self-cultivation praxis fuses Stanislavskian acting and directing craft with the perceptual yogic techniques and coaching facilitating principles. This provides new effective techniques, including changes in attitude toward the craft. More details on the Zero Zone Praxis webpage.
==Experiences==
Tamur Tohver started his career in 1991 in the Estonian Public Broadcasting, Radio Theatre as the Drama Director and was promoted in 1998 to the Executive Producer post, where he contributed a lot to the development of Estonian recorded theatre art. Alongside this, he shared his knowledge about acting, directing, script development and media commercials as a teacher at Tallinn University and Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre until 2006. International experience was gathered from different sources: from EBU (Radio Drama Project Group, expertEstonian Radio Radio Theatre history page: ), Exitfilm (production manager), stage and radio drama directing abroad. Tamur has extensive experience in leading people but also in enhancing their development. He has held multiple times leadership of national and international teams and has coached leading executives.
==Awards==
Tohver has received several scholarships from the Estonian Cultural EndowmentList of special scholarship recipients on Cultural Endowment of Estonia public information page , Estonian Ministry of CultureAs written in press release of the Estonian Ministry of Culture. and Estonian Directors' and Dramaturgs' Union over the years: 2003-2021. Also, he has received the annual award of the Estonian Radio for 1997, 2002 and 2003. He has been nominated three times at Prix Europa (Berlin, Germany) (TOP 10 in 1997), Madis Kõiv radio drama "Haug"Listen Madis Kõiv radioplay (The Pike); in 1999 Ervin Õunapuu radio drama "Õhtueine Emmauses"Listen Ervin Õunapuu radioplay (The Supper at Emmaus) and in 2019 Priit Põldma radio drama "Must luik: üks lugu seitsmele häälele, Roland Schimmelpfennigi laadis"Listen Priit Põldma radioplay (The Black Swan) at Prix Europa (Berlin) as mentioned on Estonian national radio ERR History page. In Tamur Tohver 2019 received a full awardAs mentioned on Estonian Education and Youth Board page (2019 year april - ) from Archimedes Foundation for research in Performing Arts and in 2021 received a prestigious Fulbright ScholarshipAs mentioned on College of Graduate Studies page from the US Congress.
==Articles and publications==
Tamur Tohver has published mainly on performing arts subjectsEdasi newspaper author page , however, he also addresses social development topics. The titles include Acoustic Sing in Audio Languages in Google Books, (published in Finnish and in Estonian languages), several articles about scriptwriting and performing arts in Theatre.Music.Cinema. The full book on audio semiotics and directing was published in 2003, under the title Silent Listening Is Easier (Publishing Centre / ER, Tln. 2003). in Google Books in National Library of EstoniaReferenced in Marili Pärtel Master's Thesis From the social side, one can find An April Thesis of Mindless (Sirp, 2013 in Estonian culture newspaper Sirp), several writings on ERR Culture, How to recognize a miracle? (Edasi, 2018Article in Estonian culture newspaper Edasi: ) and the latest Obstacle is a solution (Edasi, 2019Article in Estonian culture newspaper Edasi: ). The academic articles about performing in a higher state of consciousness could be found in ORCID, in Stansilavski Studies and Sirp.
==Original plays==
Tamur wrote his first radio drama in 1995, called Unplugged. The original scripts include also radio drama Supper at Emmaus (1999 with E. Õunapuu)Listen Ervin Õunapuu radioplay in Estonian Radio archive and radio opera The Opposite Coast (based on A. Kallas "The Priest of Reigi") Mentioned on Estonian Radio Radio Theatre history page: Mentioned on Estonian Radio Radio Theatre history page: His latest dramas were All Normal People (2017, with co-authors P. Jaaks and A.Vallik) and Fear Walkers (2017, textless).
==Translations of plays==
Tamur Tohver has been translated several plays form English, Finnish and Russian languages, including Jessikan penttu by L. Klemola (from Finnish language)Translation subsidy from Theatre Info Finland: and Korjaamo by M. Myllyaho (from Finnish language)Translation subsidy from Theatre Info Finland: 
==Roles in TV, theatre, radio and film==
Tamur Tohver's professional acting career started at the age of thirteen, in 1983 New fellowWatch from Eesti Rahvusringhääling archive: (by E. Akopov - TV Drama, David Kaloshyan (the main) in Estonia Television. Five years later, in 1988, he made his debut in Radio Drama HotlinesListen Radioplay in Eesti Rahvusringhääling archive: (by Vallnerova - Radio Drama, Jurjai (the main) in ERR Radiotheatre. Starting from 1995 these were followed by several TV, radio and film characters, including Comedy series La Dolce VitaTV Comedy series in Radio and TV, full movie All My Lenins (by Volmer/Kall - also as 2nd Unit Director, Faama Film / Lenfilm). Tamur Tohver has a successful career in TV also later, between 2000-2021 in different TV serials The Revenge Bureau (BEC), Secrets, Sledge Dogs, Last cop etc. In 2013, he steps first time on stage at his own company as Jekku- a psychotherapist, who is a dog (Jessika's Puppy by L. Klemola - Jekku, Polygon TheatreEesti Rahvusringhääling article by The page on Estonian Theatre Agency: ) and. Since then, Tamur Tohver has committed mostly to directing. However, he still creates remarkable characters again, on top of which is a monologue by Gogol (2016 A Blog of A MadmanParticipated in Black and White Theatre festival 2016 by K. Shahmardan / Nikolai Gogol - main, Polygon Theatre). In 2021, he appears again in The Revenge Bureau. See the whole listing on the Polygon Theatre Company page].
==Stage direction==
Tamur Tohver's first direction as a radio drama was Helga Nõu Escapers, 1991. In 1995, Tamur Tohver directed his first show for the professional stage: Train on Roof by A. Alavainu (Pärnu Town Theatre Endla). In 2002-2005, when being the artistic director of independent T-Theatre, he established more special personal stagecraft in terms of his own style. Even this has developed over years to become more physical and sophisticated, Tamur is still committed to communication 'from person to person instead of from actor to audience'. His portfolio includes many classical and contemporary absurdists from Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco and Minoru Betsuyaku to Marius von Mayenburg and Roland Schimmelpfennig. In 2008, The Polygon Theatre Company was established by opening Frozen images by Kristian Smeds and on the next year, Polygon Theatre presented already on the international performing arts festival, the Baltic Circle Festival with OxygenParticipated in HBL.fi article by by Ivan Vyrypaev (Polygon Theatre). He has been produced in extensive scale of styles, from classical comedies (GarageEesti Rahvusringhääling article by The page on Estonian Theatre Agency: Eesti Päevaleht article by by M. Myllyaho (Polygon and Old Baskin's Theatre) to contemporary physical theatre. In his craft-cultivation, current development shows embracing the preference of kind-of-devised materials, cultivated from ensemble's ideas. The starting year of this could be 2017 when appeared The Bald Soprano based on Eugène Ionesco (Polygon Theatre School), Perplex by Marius von Mayenburg (Polygon Theatre), All Normal People (KNI) by A. Vallik / P. Jaaks / T. Tohver (Polygon Theatre and Polygon Theatre School) and Fear Walkers by Friedebert Tuglas / Tamur Tohver (Auroville Theatre Group and Polygon Theatre, Bharat Nivas, Auroville). This appears also in his current creation for the radio drama (2019: Black SwanEesti Rahvusringhääling article by Listen Priit Põldma radioplay from Estonian Radio archive by P. Põldma (ERR Radiotheatre)). The freshest development in the same line is Singing Green by Karl Koppelmaa / Tamur Tohver (Polygon Theatre, 2020). See the whole listing on the Polygon Theatre Company page]. The furthest stage for him has been now Bharat Nivas in Auroville.
Category:1969 births
Category:Theatre directors
Category:Actors
Category:Performing arts
Category:Estonian people