 Over her year-long traineeship, she assisted Michael Grandage on Peter Nichols’ Passion Play and Merrily We Roll Along, Nicholas Hytner on Orpheus Descending starring Helen Mirren, Sam Mendes on Nick Whitby’s To The Green Fields Beyond and Phyllida Lloyd on David Mamet’s Boston Marriage, starring Zoe Wanamaker.Following her twelve months at the Donmar, Sam Mendes asked her to direct Frame 312 on its stage, and Michael Grandage invited Rourke to Sheffield to direct Kick for Touch as part of The Peter Gill Festival at Sheffield Theatres.While preparing those productions, Rourke assisted Peter Gill on his own play, The York Realist and John Osborne’s Luther on the Olivier stage of the National Theatre.