Adam Spreadbury-Maher
Encyclopedia
Adam Spreadbury-Maher is a multi-award winning Australian/Irish theatre
artistic director, producer and translator. He is the founding Artistic Director of London's Cock Tavern Theatre
from January 2009 until the venues closure in April 2011. He became Artistic Director of the Kings Head Theatre "London's Little Opera House" in March 2010. He is the artistic director of theatre company Good Night Out Presents
and joint artistic director of opera company OperaUpClose
.
, Australia
. He attended Catholic schools St Jude's Primary School and St Edmund's College, Canberra
before attending Porthalla Gymnasium, Sweden and Narrabundah College, Canberra where he mantriculated in 2000. He received his initial training as an opera singer at the Canberra School of Music. His debut directorial production of Jonathan Harvey’s
Beautiful Thing
, won Spreadbury-Maher an Australian Critics’ Circle Award in 2004. In 2005 Adam came to the UK, and, after walking out of training at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama
, made his London directing debut at The White Bear Theatre
producing three critically successful shows as the theatre’s Associate Director, including the two world premieres The Ides of March
by Duncan Ley
and Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz. In 2008 Adam founded theatre company Good Night Out Presents
which is the parent company of his venues and theatre/opera companies. The company’s production of Studies for a Portrait transferred to the Oval House Theatre
following its critics' choice sell-out run at the White Bear Theatre
. In 2008 Spreadbury-Maher directed Australian actor Mark Little
in a production of Cosi
by Louis Nowra
, also for Good Night Out Presents
. Other notable productions include the first UK revival of Peter Gill’s
The York Realist
, presented at Riverside Studios
to mark Gill’s 70th birthday.
In 2010 Spreadbury-Maher was Associate Director on UK premiere of the multi-award winning Holding the Man
, adapted by Tommy Murphy and based on the novel by Timothy Conigrave
. Further 2010 directing work included UK premiere of Hannie Rayson's landmark Australian play Hotel Sorrento
, the rarely revived first play of Peter Gill’s
The Sleepers Den, the world premiere of Edward Bond's There Will Be More. Spreadbury-Maher ended 2010 with his operatic directing debut in a new version of Madama Butterfly
retitled “Bangkok Butterfly”, which he adapted in English with Ben Cooper
for OperaUpClose
. The production ran for 4 months at The King's Head Theatre
, garnishing critical notice from Fiona Maddocks in The Oberserver, “Madam Butterfly has been updated to Bangkok Butterfly to chilling effect... full of promise and musically intelligent.” and Michael Tanner in The Spectator
, "Beautiful and sexy... the evening was a powerful one".
, becoming its Artistic Director. Under his leadership the theatre has followed a strict artistic policy of staging only world premiers and revivals from world class playwrights, a strategy which has seen the theatre praised for its imaginative programming and quality productions. Since the opening of The Cock Tavern Theatre
Adam has directed revivals by Stephen Fry
, Nick Ward, Hannie Rayson
and produced a retrospective season of work by Edward Bond
.
December 2009 saw Spreadbury-Maher form OperaUpClose
with the aim of bringing Opera to a wider audience by producing new, classic and difficult pieces which have so far been neglected or previously inaccessible. Adam, alongside Ben Cooper, produced La Boheme
, directed by Robin Norton Hale, which was extended at The Cock Tavern Theatre
for 6 months following a sell-out run and significant critical acclaim, and which had a 6-week sell-out season in July 2011 at the Soho Theatre
, and will return for a further 6-week season in January 2011. The production represents the longest running continuously performed La Boheme
in its history.
Spreadbury-Maher was awarded the Fringe Report Award 2010 for Best Artistic Director as recognition of the success at the Cock
. The award was presented on 9 February at the Leicester Square Theatre. In the Autumn of 2010 Spreadbury-Maher produced an Edward Bond retrospective season at The Cock Tavern Theatre
. The season included 6 Bond plays from 6 decades, including the new commission "There Will Be More", directed by Spreadbury-Maher.
will be introduced at the King’s Head, and that both OperaUpClose
and Good Night Out Presents
will reside at the venue as well as at the Cock
. Adam’s first production at the King’s Head, was Studies for a Portrait. The production was hailed as a successful start to Spreadbury-Maher’s reign at the theatre.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
artistic director, producer and translator. He is the founding Artistic Director of London's Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
from January 2009 until the venues closure in April 2011. He became Artistic Director of the Kings Head Theatre "London's Little Opera House" in March 2010. He is the artistic director of theatre company Good Night Out Presents
Good Night Out Presents
Good Night Out Presents is one of the resident theatre companies at the The Cock Tavern Theatre in London.-History:Good Night Out Presents was formed in August 2008 and moved to The Cock Tavern Theatre following a residency at The White Bear Theatre...
and joint artistic director of opera company OperaUpClose
OperaUpClose
OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London (also called "London's little opera house". It started at The Cock Tavern...
.
Biography
Spreadbury-Maher was born in Australia to parents Garry Maher and Priscilla Ryan née Spreadbury. Spreadbury-Maher was raised in CanberraCanberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He attended Catholic schools St Jude's Primary School and St Edmund's College, Canberra
St Edmund's College, Canberra
St Edmund's College, is a private, Catholic, day school for boys, located in Griffith, a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.The college was established in 1954 by the Christian Brothers as St Edmund's War Memorial College...
before attending Porthalla Gymnasium, Sweden and Narrabundah College, Canberra where he mantriculated in 2000. He received his initial training as an opera singer at the Canberra School of Music. His debut directorial production of Jonathan Harvey’s
Jonathan Harvey (playwright)
Jonathan Harvey is a British playwright whose work has earned multiple awards. He is also a former secondary school English teacher.-Life and works:...
Beautiful Thing
Beautiful Thing
Originally Beautiful Thing is a play written by Jonathan Harvey and first performed in 1993. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 Films, with a revised screenplay also by Harvey. Initially, the film was only intended for television broadcast but it was so well-received...
, won Spreadbury-Maher an Australian Critics’ Circle Award in 2004. In 2005 Adam came to the UK, and, after walking out of training at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
, made his London directing debut at The White Bear Theatre
The White Bear Theatre
The White Bear Theatre Club is a fringe theatre venue, established in 1988 in the White Bear pub in Kennington, London Borough of Lambeth. It is run by Artistic Director Michael Kingsbury...
producing three critically successful shows as the theatre’s Associate Director, including the two world premieres The Ides of March
The Ides of March
The Ides of March is an American rock band that had a major US and minor UK hit with the song "Vehicle" in 1970. After going on hiatus in 1973, the band returned with their original line-up in 1990 and has been active since then.-Early days:...
by Duncan Ley
Duncan Ley
Duncan Ley is an Australian playwright, actor, theatrical producer and director who has also written for Sydney's Motion Picture Company. His play In Cold Light is currently in the production phase as it is turned into a feature film by Peter Slee Productions.- Playwright Credits :Ley's plays...
and Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz. In 2008 Adam founded theatre company Good Night Out Presents
Good Night Out Presents
Good Night Out Presents is one of the resident theatre companies at the The Cock Tavern Theatre in London.-History:Good Night Out Presents was formed in August 2008 and moved to The Cock Tavern Theatre following a residency at The White Bear Theatre...
which is the parent company of his venues and theatre/opera companies. The company’s production of Studies for a Portrait transferred to the Oval House Theatre
Oval House Theatre
Ovalhouse formerly called Oval House Theatre is an Off-Westend theatre led by joint Directors of Theatre Rebecca Atkinson-Lord and Rachel Briscoe in the London Borough of Lambeth...
following its critics' choice sell-out run at the White Bear Theatre
The White Bear Theatre
The White Bear Theatre Club is a fringe theatre venue, established in 1988 in the White Bear pub in Kennington, London Borough of Lambeth. It is run by Artistic Director Michael Kingsbury...
. In 2008 Spreadbury-Maher directed Australian actor Mark Little
Mark Little (Australian actor)
Mark Little , is an Australian actor, television presenter and comedian, born in Brisbane, Queensland.-Career:Little appeared in a string of Australian films and TV series during the 1980s. He also performed his own comedy/performance in Melbourne's burgeoning comedy clubs throughout the eighties...
in a production of Cosi
Così
Così is a play by Australian playwright Louis Nowra which was first performed in 1992. Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971, Così is semi-autobiographical.- Plot summary:Lewis is always desperate for work as he states "I need the money"...
by Louis Nowra
Louis Nowra
Louis Nowra is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist.He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights...
, also for Good Night Out Presents
Good Night Out Presents
Good Night Out Presents is one of the resident theatre companies at the The Cock Tavern Theatre in London.-History:Good Night Out Presents was formed in August 2008 and moved to The Cock Tavern Theatre following a residency at The White Bear Theatre...
. Other notable productions include the first UK revival of Peter Gill’s
Peter Gill (playwright)
Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
The York Realist
The York Realist
The York Realist is a 2001 play by Peter Gill. It was premiered at the Lowry in November 2001 before moving to the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Court Theatre in January 2002 by English Touring Theatre, with Gill himself directing...
, presented at Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is a production studio, theatre and independent cinema on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. It plays host to contemporary and international dramatic and dance performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.-History:In 1933, the...
to mark Gill’s 70th birthday.
In 2010 Spreadbury-Maher was Associate Director on UK premiere of the multi-award winning Holding the Man
Holding the Man
Holding the Man is the best-selling memoir by the Australian writer, actor, and activist Timothy Conigrave. It was adapted for the stage by Tommy Murphy in 2006, and has become one of the most successful Australian stage productions in recent years.Holding the Man was published in February 1995 by...
, adapted by Tommy Murphy and based on the novel by Timothy Conigrave
Timothy Conigrave
Tim Conigrave was an Australian actor, writer, and activist. He was born in Melbourne, and after attending the Jesuit Xavier College and Monash University he moved to Sydney to study at the National Institute of Dramatic Art , from which he graduated in 1984...
. Further 2010 directing work included UK premiere of Hannie Rayson's landmark Australian play Hotel Sorrento
Hotel Sorrento
Hotel Sorrento is a 1995 Australian drama film directed by Richard Franklin. Three sisters reunite in the sleepy Australian town of Sorrento after a ten year hiatus. One of the three has written a book called Melancholy which is a thinly disguised version of their lives...
, the rarely revived first play of Peter Gill’s
Peter Gill (playwright)
Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
The Sleepers Den, the world premiere of Edward Bond's There Will Be More. Spreadbury-Maher ended 2010 with his operatic directing debut in a new version of Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
retitled “Bangkok Butterfly”, which he adapted in English with Ben Cooper
Ben Cooper
Ben Cooper is a retired American actor of film and television, who won a Golden Boot award in 2005 for his work in westerns.-Early films:...
for OperaUpClose
OperaUpClose
OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London (also called "London's little opera house". It started at The Cock Tavern...
. The production ran for 4 months at The King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an Off-West End venue in London. It was the first pub theatre in the UK. Adam Spreadbury-Maher became Artistic Director in March 2010 .-Background:...
, garnishing critical notice from Fiona Maddocks in The Oberserver, “Madam Butterfly has been updated to Bangkok Butterfly to chilling effect... full of promise and musically intelligent.” and Michael Tanner in The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, "Beautiful and sexy... the evening was a powerful one".
The Cock Tavern Theatre
In January 2009 Adam founded The Cock Tavern TheatreThe Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
, becoming its Artistic Director. Under his leadership the theatre has followed a strict artistic policy of staging only world premiers and revivals from world class playwrights, a strategy which has seen the theatre praised for its imaginative programming and quality productions. Since the opening of The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
Adam has directed revivals by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, Nick Ward, Hannie Rayson
Hannie Rayson
-Biography:Rayson was born in Melbourne, Victoria and graduated from the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of Arts. She has worked as a freelance journalist and editor in addition to her primary career as playwright and screenwriter. Rayson was the co-founder of the community...
and produced a retrospective season of work by Edward Bond
Edward Bond
Edward Bond is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them Saved , the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK...
.
December 2009 saw Spreadbury-Maher form OperaUpClose
OperaUpClose
OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London (also called "London's little opera house". It started at The Cock Tavern...
with the aim of bringing Opera to a wider audience by producing new, classic and difficult pieces which have so far been neglected or previously inaccessible. Adam, alongside Ben Cooper, produced La Boheme
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, directed by Robin Norton Hale, which was extended at The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
for 6 months following a sell-out run and significant critical acclaim, and which had a 6-week sell-out season in July 2011 at the Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
, and will return for a further 6-week season in January 2011. The production represents the longest running continuously performed La Boheme
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
in its history.
Spreadbury-Maher was awarded the Fringe Report Award 2010 for Best Artistic Director as recognition of the success at the Cock
The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
. The award was presented on 9 February at the Leicester Square Theatre. In the Autumn of 2010 Spreadbury-Maher produced an Edward Bond retrospective season at The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
. The season included 6 Bond plays from 6 decades, including the new commission "There Will Be More", directed by Spreadbury-Maher.
The King’s Head Theatre
In March 2010 Spreadbury-Maher was appointed Artistic Director of The King’s Head Theatre. He took up the post in October 2010. It was stated that a similar in-house producing model to that of The Cock Tavern TheatreThe Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
will be introduced at the King’s Head, and that both OperaUpClose
OperaUpClose
OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London (also called "London's little opera house". It started at The Cock Tavern...
and Good Night Out Presents
Good Night Out Presents
Good Night Out Presents is one of the resident theatre companies at the The Cock Tavern Theatre in London.-History:Good Night Out Presents was formed in August 2008 and moved to The Cock Tavern Theatre following a residency at The White Bear Theatre...
will reside at the venue as well as at the Cock
The Cock Tavern Theatre
The Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
. Adam’s first production at the King’s Head, was Studies for a Portrait. The production was hailed as a successful start to Spreadbury-Maher’s reign at the theatre.
Winner
- The Laurence Olivier Awards - Best New Opera for La Boheme at Soho Theatre, 2011
- What's On Stage.com Awards – Best Off-West End Production for La Boheme at The Cock Tavern Theatre, 2011
- London Fringe Report Awards – Best Artistic Director, 2010
- Peter Brook… Empty Space Awards – Dan Crawford Innovation Award awarded to The Cock Tavern TheatreThe Cock Tavern TheatreThe Cock Tavern Theatre was a multi-award winning pub theatre located in the heart of Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals...
, 2009 - Australian Critics’ Circle Award for Jonathan Harvey’sJonathan Harvey (playwright)Jonathan Harvey is a British playwright whose work has earned multiple awards. He is also a former secondary school English teacher.-Life and works:...
Beautiful ThingBeautiful ThingOriginally Beautiful Thing is a play written by Jonathan Harvey and first performed in 1993. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 Films, with a revised screenplay also by Harvey. Initially, the film was only intended for television broadcast but it was so well-received...
, 2004
Nominations
- What's On Stage.com Awards – Theatre Event of The Year for King's Head Theatre transformation in London's Little Opera House, 2011
- Off West End.com Awards - Best Director for CosiCosìCosì is a play by Australian playwright Louis Nowra which was first performed in 1992. Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971, Così is semi-autobiographical.- Plot summary:Lewis is always desperate for work as he states "I need the money"...
by Louise Nowra at the King's Head Theatre, 2011 - Peter Brook... Empty Space Awards - Mark Marvin Rent Subsidy Award for OperaUpCloseOperaUpCloseOperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London OperaUpClose is a resident opera company at the Kings Head Theatre London (also called "London's little opera house". It started at The Cock Tavern...
at the King's Head Theatre, 2011
As a Director
- CosiCosìCosì is a play by Australian playwright Louis Nowra which was first performed in 1992. Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971, Così is semi-autobiographical.- Plot summary:Lewis is always desperate for work as he states "I need the money"...
by Louis NowraLouis NowraLouis Nowra is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist.He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights...
(19 June 2011 – 13 July 2011) King's Head Theatre, London - Madam Butterfly (or Bangkok Butterfly) by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
(11 December 2010 – 30 March 2011) King's Head Theatre, London - There Will Be More by Edward BondEdward BondEdward Bond is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them Saved , the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK...
(26 October 2010 – 13 November 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - The Sleepers Den by Peter GillPeter Gill (playwright)Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
(27 September 2010 – 16 October 2010) Riverside Studios, London - Hotel SorrentoHotel SorrentoHotel Sorrento is a 1995 Australian drama film directed by Richard Franklin. Three sisters reunite in the sleepy Australian town of Sorrento after a ten year hiatus. One of the three has written a book called Melancholy which is a thinly disguised version of their lives...
by Hannie RaysonHannie Rayson-Biography:Rayson was born in Melbourne, Victoria and graduated from the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of Arts. She has worked as a freelance journalist and editor in addition to her primary career as playwright and screenwriter. Rayson was the co-founder of the community...
(19 August 2010 – 11 September 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz (30 March 2010 – 23 May 2010 – revival) King's Head Theatre, London
- The York RealistThe York RealistThe York Realist is a 2001 play by Peter Gill. It was premiered at the Lowry in November 2001 before moving to the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Court Theatre in January 2002 by English Touring Theatre, with Gill himself directing...
by Peter GillPeter Gill (playwright)Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
(23 September 2009 – 11 October 2009) Riverside Studios, London - The PresentThe PresentThe Present is the eleventh album by The Moody Blues. It is the second album of the Patrick Moraz era. It had three minor hit singles, "Blue World" , "Sitting at the Wheel" and "Running Water"....
by Nick Ward (20 August 2009 – 5 September 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Latin! (or Tobacco and Boys) by Stephen FryStephen FryStephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
(23 June – 11 July 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz (19 May 2008 – 13 June 2008 – revival) Oval House, London
- Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz (9 January 2008 – 1 February 2008) White Bear Theatre, London
- The Ides of MarchThe Ides of MarchThe Ides of March is an American rock band that had a major US and minor UK hit with the song "Vehicle" in 1970. After going on hiatus in 1973, the band returned with their original line-up in 1990 and has been active since then.-Early days:...
by Duncan LeyDuncan LeyDuncan Ley is an Australian playwright, actor, theatrical producer and director who has also written for Sydney's Motion Picture Company. His play In Cold Light is currently in the production phase as it is turned into a feature film by Peter Slee Productions.- Playwright Credits :Ley's plays...
(25 November 2008 – 21 December 2008) White Bear Theatre, London - CosiCosìCosì is a play by Australian playwright Louis Nowra which was first performed in 1992. Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971, Così is semi-autobiographical.- Plot summary:Lewis is always desperate for work as he states "I need the money"...
by Louis NowraLouis NowraLouis Nowra is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist.He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights...
(29 July 2008 – 24 August 2008) White Bear Theatre, London - LootLoot (play)Loot is a two-act play by the English playwright Joe Orton. The play is a dark farce that satirises the Roman Catholic Church, social attitudes to death, and the integrity of the police force....
by Joe OrtonJoe OrtonJohn Kingsley Orton was an English playwright.In a short but prolific career lasting from 1964 until his death, he shocked, outraged and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies...
(17 June 2005 – 25 June 2005) Australian National University Drama Studio, Canberra - Boom Bang-a-Bang by Jonathan HarveyJonathan Harvey (playwright)Jonathan Harvey is a British playwright whose work has earned multiple awards. He is also a former secondary school English teacher.-Life and works:...
(16 June 2005 – 3 July 2004) Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra - Beautiful ThingBeautiful ThingOriginally Beautiful Thing is a play written by Jonathan Harvey and first performed in 1993. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 Films, with a revised screenplay also by Harvey. Initially, the film was only intended for television broadcast but it was so well-received...
by Jonathan Harvey]] (8 January 2004 – 24 January 2004) Street Theatre, Canberra
As a Theatre Producer
- ConstanceConstanceConstance is a female given name that derives from Latin and means "constant." Variations of the name include Connie, Constancia, Constanze, Constanza, Stanzy, and Konstanze.Constance may refer to:-People:*Constance Bennett , American actress...
by Oscar WildeOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
, reconstituted by Guillot de Saix and Henri de Briel and adapted by Charles OsborneCharles OsborneCharles Osborne hiccupped continuously for 68 years .Osborne was from Anthon, Iowa, U.S., and he was entered in Guinness World Records as the man with the Longest Attack of Hiccups. The hiccups started in 1923 and persisted for a total of 68 years...
(13 September 2011 – 22 October 2011) King's Head Theatre, London - CosiCosìCosì is a play by Australian playwright Louis Nowra which was first performed in 1992. Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971, Così is semi-autobiographical.- Plot summary:Lewis is always desperate for work as he states "I need the money"...
by Louis NowraLouis NowraLouis Nowra is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist.He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights...
(19 June 2011 – 13 July 2011) King's Head Theatre, London - A Cavalier for Milady by Tennessee WilliamsTennessee WilliamsThomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
(7 June 2011 – 25 June 2011) Jermyn Street Theatre, London - A Butcher of Distinction by Rob Hayes (3–5 April 2011) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
- A Cavalier for Milady by Tennessee WilliamsTennessee WilliamsThomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
(29 March 2011 – 1 April 2011) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - I never get dressed till after dark on Sundays by Tennessee WilliamsTennessee WilliamsThomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
(1 March – 26 March 2011) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Judith: A parting from the bodyJudith: A Parting from the BodyJudith: A Parting from the Body is a play by British playwright Howard Barker. It premiered in 1992, with British actress Melanie Jessop in the title role, in a production by The Wrestling School...
by Howard BarkerHoward BarkerHoward E. Barker is a British playwright.-The Theatre of Catastrophe :Barker has coined the term "Theatre of Catastrophe" to describe his work...
(7 February – 26 February 2011) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - It's Raining in Barcelona by Pau Miró (9 January 2011 – 29 January 2011) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
- Subs by R. J. Purdy (4 January 2011 – 29 January 2011) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
- Pins & Needles by Harold Rome (16 November – 11 December 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
- Over Gardens Out by Peter GillPeter Gill (playwright)Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
(19 October 2010 – 6 November 2010) Riveside Studios, London - The Sleepers Den by Peter GillPeter Gill (playwright)Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
(27 September 2010 – 16 October 2010) Riverside Studios, London - Red, Black and Ignorant by Edward BondEdward BondEdward Bond is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them Saved , the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK...
(31 October – 13 November 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - There Will Be More by Edward BondEdward BondEdward Bond is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them Saved , the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK...
(26 October – 13 November 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - The Fool by Edward BondEdward BondEdward Bond is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them Saved , the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK...
(10–23 October 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - The Under Room by Edward BondEdward BondEdward Bond is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them Saved , the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK...
(5–24 October 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - The Pope's Wedding by Edward BondEdward BondEdward Bond is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them Saved , the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK...
(19 September – 2 October 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Olly's Prison by Edward BondEdward BondEdward Bond is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them Saved , the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK...
(14 September – 2 October 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Hotel SorrentoHotel SorrentoHotel Sorrento is a 1995 Australian drama film directed by Richard Franklin. Three sisters reunite in the sleepy Australian town of Sorrento after a ten year hiatus. One of the three has written a book called Melancholy which is a thinly disguised version of their lives...
by Hannie RaysonHannie Rayson-Biography:Rayson was born in Melbourne, Victoria and graduated from the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of Arts. She has worked as a freelance journalist and editor in addition to her primary career as playwright and screenwriter. Rayson was the co-founder of the community...
(17 August 2010 – 11 September 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Subs by R. J. Purdy (25 July 2010 – 7 September 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
- A Stretch Of The Imagination by Jack HibberdJack HibberdDr Jack Hibberd is an Australian playwright.-Biography:Hibberd studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Newman College and practised as a clinical immunologist in Melbourne from 1964 until 1973...
(16 June 2010 – 17 July 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz (30 March 2010 – 23 May 2010 – revival) King's Head Theatre, London
- SwingSwingSwing or swinging may refer to:* Swing , a suspended seat often found in backyards or playgrounds-Sports:* Baseball swing, a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each...
by Jamie HarperJamie HarperJamie Harper is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.-College career:Harper fumbled on his first career carry at Clemson...
and Dan Muirden (23 May 2010 – 12 June 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - A Model For Mankind by James Sheldon (27 March 2010 – 17 April 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
- Nightsongs by Jon FosseJon FosseJon Fosse is a Norwegian author and dramatist.Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway and currently lives in Bergen. He debuted in 1983 with the novel Raudt, svart . His first play, Og aldri skal vi skiljast, was performed and published in 1994. Jon Fosse has written novels, short stories, poetry,...
(30 January 2010 – 20 February 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - The York RealistThe York RealistThe York Realist is a 2001 play by Peter Gill. It was premiered at the Lowry in November 2001 before moving to the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Court Theatre in January 2002 by English Touring Theatre, with Gill himself directing...
by Peter GillPeter Gill (playwright)Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
(23 September 2009 – 11 October 2009) Riverside Studios, London - BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
by Rose Martula (8 September 2009 – 26 September 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - The PresentThe PresentThe Present is the eleventh album by The Moody Blues. It is the second album of the Patrick Moraz era. It had three minor hit singles, "Blue World" , "Sitting at the Wheel" and "Running Water"....
by Nick Ward (18 August 2009 – 5 September 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - Last DrinksLast DrinksLast Drinks is a 2000 Ned Kelly Award winning novel by the Australian author Andrew McGahan.A stage version premiered at Brisbane's La Boite Theatre in August 2006.-Reviews:* "Aussiereviews" * "The Australian Public Intellectual network"...
by Duncan LeyDuncan LeyDuncan Ley is an Australian playwright, actor, theatrical producer and director who has also written for Sydney's Motion Picture Company. His play In Cold Light is currently in the production phase as it is turned into a feature film by Peter Slee Productions.- Playwright Credits :Ley's plays...
(23 June 2009 – 11 July 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - The Backroom by Adrian PaganAdrian PaganAdrian Pagan is an Australian economist and Professor of Economics in the School of Economics at the University of Sydney...
(12 March 2009 – 11 April 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London - The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(4 February 2009 – 7 March 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
As an Opera Producer
- Don GiovanniDon GiovanniDon Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
by Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
dir. Robin Norton-Hale (11 August 2011 - 17 Septebmer 2011) Soho Theatre, London - The Turn Of The ScrewThe Turn of the ScrewThe Turn of the Screw is a novella written by Henry James. Originally published in 1898, it is ostensibly a ghost story.Due to its ambiguous content, it became a favourite text of academics who subscribe to New Criticism. The novella has had differing interpretations, often mutually exclusive...
by Benjamin BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
dir. Edward DickEdward DickEdward Dick is a British theatre director.-Biography:He graduated from Oxford University in 2001 and trained as Declan Donnellan's assistant at Cheek By Jowl. He has directed productions, most notably of plays by Shakespeare, in theatres around the world...
(1 July 2011 - Current) King's Head Theatre, London - The Coronation of Poppea by Claudio MonteverdiClaudio MonteverdiClaudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
dir. Mark RavenhillMark RavenhillMark Ravenhill is an English playwright, actor and journalist.His most famous plays include Shopping and Fucking , Some Explicit Polaroids and Mother Clap's Molly House . He made his acting debut in his monologue Product, at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe...
(5 April 2011 - 31 August 2011) King's Head Theatre, London - La BohemeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
dir. Robin Norton-Hale (1 March 2011 - Current) King's Head Theatre, London - PagliacciPagliacciPagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
by Ruggero LeoncavalloRuggero LeoncavalloRuggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer. His two-act work Pagliacci remains one of the most popular works in the repertory, appearing as number 20 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.-Biography:...
dir. Anna Gregory (24 February 2011 – 31 May 2011) King's Head Theatre, London - La BohemeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
dir. Robin Norton-Hale (11 January 2011 – 19 February 2011) Soho Theatre, London - CinderellaCinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
by Gioachino Rossini dir. Emma Rivlin (11 December 2010 – 23 January 2011) King's Head Theatre, London - Madam Butterfly (or Bangkok Butterfly) by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
dir. Adam Spreadbury-MaherAdam Spreadbury-MaherAdam Spreadbury-Maher is a multi-award winning Australian/Irish theatre artistic director, producer and translator. He is the founding Artistic Director of London's Cock Tavern Theatre from January 2009 until the venues closure in April 2011. He became Artistic Director of the Kings Head Theatre...
(11 December 2010 – 30 March 2011) King's Head Theatre, London - Barber of Seville (or Salisbury) by Gioachino Rossini dir. Robin Norton-Hale (5 October 2010 – 13 November 2010) King's Head Theatre, London
- La BohemeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
dir. Robin Norton-Hale (27 July 2010 – 4 September 2010) Soho Theatre, London - La BohemeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
dir. Robin Norton-Hale (8 December 2009 – 15 May 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
As a Translator
- Madam Butterfly (or Bangkok Butterfly) (11 December 2010 – 30 March 2011) King's Head Theatre, London