Helene Kvale is a documentary filmmaker, currently writing, producing and directing The Loom, executive produced by James Ivory and slated for release in 2026. Her career in the arts spans over 3 decades, first as actor / screenwriter, then theater director and educator and now, documentarian. She joins Princeton anthropology as Lecturer in September 2026. 

Kvale began her acting career after graduating from London School of Economics with a BSc in Anthropology. As an actor, Kvale was part of the National Theatre’s Olivier award winning production and world tour of Richard III (Ian McKellen) and King Lear (Brian Cox). On the West End stage, Kvale starred in Burning Blue (winner of 2 Olivier Awards) , Life During Wartime and To Kill A Mockingbird. Highlights of her television work include Prime Suspect 4 (with Helen Mirren), Soldier Soldier, Daddy’s Girl, London Bridge, This Life, Deceit and Lovejoy. Film work includes Tomorrow La Scala! (BAFTA, Un Certain Regard).

In 2003, Kvale returned to the United States to join the faculty of the Department of Dramatic Arts at UCONN. Innovative productions for Connecticut Repertory Theatre and the tri-state region as director include If We Were Birds, Eurydice, Big Love, Pride and Prejudice, Too Much Memory, The Skin of Our Teeth, Gut Girls and Marat/Sade. Kvale is an alumn of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and created Bated Breath Theatre Company to push the boundaries of interactive theater in site specific spaces. As Artistic Director she devised  and directed  A Doll’s House, Hunger and The Parkville Project. Kvale then turned her attention to adapting Burning Blue  into a screenplay. The film was released by Lionsgate. Kvale is a proud member of New York Women in Film, British Actors Equity and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.