Amon Miyamoto is a Japanese stage director and choreographer.

Biography

Beginning his career in theater as an actor and choreographer, Amon Miyamoto went to study in London and New York for two years. When he returned to Japan in 1987, he made his debut as a director with his original musical, "I Got Merman,” winning the National Arts Festival Prize, the most prestigious directing award in Japan.

In 2004 Miyamoto became the first Asian ever to direct a Broadway musical, "Pacific Overtures

Pacific Overtures

Pacific Overtures is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a libretto by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is set in 1853 Japan and follows the difficult Westernization of Japan, through the lives of two friends caught in the change...

," which received four TONY award

Tony Award

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

 nominations. In 2008, he conceived and directed “Up in the Air,” a new musical composed by Henry Krieger

Henry Krieger

Henry Krieger is an American composer.Krieger wrote the music for the Broadway shows Dreamgirls , The Tap Dance Kid , and Side Show , as well as other works of musical theatre.He was nominated for the Tony Awards for Best Score for both Dreamgirls and Side Show, won a Grammy...

, which premiered at Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. His most recent projects include Tan Dun

Tan Dun

Tan Dun is a Chinese contemporary classical composer, most widely known for his scores for the movies Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero.-Early life in China:...

’s Opera “TEA: A Mirror of Soul” at the Opera Company of Philadelphia

Opera Company of Philadelphia

The Opera Company of Philadelphia is an American opera company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the city's only company producing grand opera. The organization produces four fully staged opera productions annually, encompassing works from the seventeenth through the 21st century...

 in February 2010, and “The Fantasticks

The Fantasticks

The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It was produced by Lore Noto. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into...

,” in London’s West End

West End theatre

West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...

 at the Duchess Theatre

Duchess Theatre

The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street, near Aldwych.The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest 'proscenium arched' West End theatres. It has 479 seats on two levels....

 to be opening in May 2010. Miyamoto has been named the Artistic Director of Kanagawa Arts Theater “KAAT”, which will open in January 2011 in Yokohama City in Japan.

External links

• Amon Miyamto Official Website http://amon-miyamoto.com/
• The Fantasticks (West End Production) http://www.thefantasticks.co.uk/
• KAAT (Kanagawa Arts Theatre) http://www.kaat.jp/