Des McAnuff
Encyclopedia
Desmond McAnuff is the Canadian-American artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and director of musical theatre
of such Broadway productions as Big River
, The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys
.
to John Nelson and Ellen Boyd, McAnuff is a citizen of United States and Canada. He lived briefly in Guelph, Ontario attending grade 4 at St. George's Public School. His family then moved to Scarborough, Ontario
, at the time a suburb of Toronto
, and attended high school at Woburn Collegiate Institute
where he made his first theatrical appearance in the school's production of The Sound of Music
, playing the role of Kurt. Later, with the help of two friends, he wrote the music and lyrics to a rock musical
called Urbania, which was performed by the high school drama club. He attended Ryerson University
although never completed his degree. In June 2011, McAnuff was awarded an honourary degree by the Ryerson Theatre School.
McAnuff received training from Toronto's foremost drama coach Basya Hunter, to whom he has announced his indebtedness. He worked with the Toronto Free Theatre as a director, and after several plays that had limited success, he left the Canadian scene for New York City
.
There, McAnuff co-founded the Dodger Theatre Company in 1978, where he also directed the first production, entitled Gimme Shelter
. He has directed for the American Repertory Theater at Harvard, also Yale Rep, and is a former faculty member of the Juilliard School
.
McAnuff was Artistic Director
of the La Jolla Playhouse
, which he revived in 1983, during which time the theatre won more than 200 awards. For the Playhouse, he directed Romeo and Juliet
, A Mad World, My Masters, Big River
, As You Like It
, The Sea Gull
, The Matchmaker
, A Walk in the Woods
, Two Rooms, 80 Days, Macbeth
, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
, Twelfth Night, Three Sisters
, Elmer Gantry
, Much Ado About Nothing
, The Who's Tommy
and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
. McAnuff turned over his leadership of the playhouse in April 2007 to Christopher Ashley
in order to take a position of leadership at Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival. In 2008, after a year sharing power with Don Shipley
and Marti Maraden
, McAnuff became the sole artistic director at Stratford.
McAnuff has directed two motion pictures, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
(2000) and Cousin Bette
(1998), both of which failed critically and at the box-office. However, the animated version of The Iron Giant
, which he served as producer, earned several awards.
McAnuff married actress Susan Berman in 1984 and the ceremony took place on the La Jolla Playhouse stage. The couple's divorce was finalized in 2009. They are the parents of Julia Violet McAnuff, born in 1990.
In 2010 McAnuff was the subject of a documentary special entitled Des McAnuff: A Life In Stages which was a part of the broadcast schedule on Bravo! in Canada for February 7, 2010.
During the 2011-2012 Season at the Metropolitan Opera
he will direct a new production of Charles Gounod
's Faust
starring soprano Marina Poplavskaya
and tenor Jonas Kaufmann
. This is a production originally premiered in 2010 at the English National Opera
.
On Sunday, October 23rd, a tribute for McAnuff was given by staff and students from Ryerson's Theatre School.
on The Who's Tommy and in 1995 as Best Director (Musical) for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
He was nominated again in 2006 for Best Direction of a Musical, for Jersey Boys, based on the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Though he did not win, the production went on to win Best Musical that year.
Additionally, McAnuff was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Director of 1996 for The Who's Tommy at the Shaftesbury Theatre.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
of such Broadway productions as Big River
Big River (musical)
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel...
, The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...
.
Biography
Born in Princeton, IllinoisPrinceton, Illinois
Princeton is a city in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,501 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bureau County.Princeton is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
to John Nelson and Ellen Boyd, McAnuff is a citizen of United States and Canada. He lived briefly in Guelph, Ontario attending grade 4 at St. George's Public School. His family then moved to Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
, at the time a suburb of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and attended high school at Woburn Collegiate Institute
Woburn Collegiate Institute
Woburn Collegiate Institute is a non-semestered secondary school on Ellesmere Road in the Scarborough district of Toronto. Its motto is Let the Zeal for Learning Flourish.- History :...
where he made his first theatrical appearance in the school's production of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, playing the role of Kurt. Later, with the help of two friends, he wrote the music and lyrics to a rock musical
Rock musical
A rock musical is a musical theatre work with rock music. The genre of rock musical may overlap somewhat with album musicals, concept albums and song cycles, as they sometimes tell a story through the rock music, and some album musicals and concept albums become rock musicals...
called Urbania, which was performed by the high school drama club. He attended Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
although never completed his degree. In June 2011, McAnuff was awarded an honourary degree by the Ryerson Theatre School.
McAnuff received training from Toronto's foremost drama coach Basya Hunter, to whom he has announced his indebtedness. He worked with the Toronto Free Theatre as a director, and after several plays that had limited success, he left the Canadian scene for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
There, McAnuff co-founded the Dodger Theatre Company in 1978, where he also directed the first production, entitled Gimme Shelter
Gimme Shelter
"Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones. It first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed. Although the first word was spelled "Gimmie" on that album, subsequent recordings by the band and other musicians have made "Gimme" the customary spelling...
. He has directed for the American Repertory Theater at Harvard, also Yale Rep, and is a former faculty member of the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
.
McAnuff was Artistic Director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of the La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
, which he revived in 1983, during which time the theatre won more than 200 awards. For the Playhouse, he directed Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, A Mad World, My Masters, Big River
Big River (musical)
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel...
, As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, The Sea Gull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
, The Matchmaker
The Matchmaker
The Matchmaker is a play by Thornton Wilder.The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce A Day Well Spent had been extended into a full-length play entitled Einen Jux will er sich machen by Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy in 1842...
, A Walk in the Woods
A Walk in the Woods (play)
A Walk in the Woods is a 1988 play by Lee Blessing. It depicts the developing relationship between two arms limitation negotiators, one Russian and one American, over a year of negotiation. The play was nominated for both a Tony award and a Pulitzer Prize....
, Two Rooms, 80 Days, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
, Twelfth Night, Three Sisters
Three Sisters (play)
Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
, Elmer Gantry
Elmer Gantry
Elmer Gantry is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 and published by Harcourt in March 1927.-Background:Lewis did research for the novel by observing the work of various preachers in Kansas City in his so-called "Sunday School" meetings on Wednesdays. He first worked with William L...
, Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
, The Who's Tommy
The Who's Tommy
The Who's Tommy is a rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who's 1969 double album rock opera Tommy, also by Pete Townshend, with additional material by John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Sonny Boy Williamson.-Productions:...
and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name....
. McAnuff turned over his leadership of the playhouse in April 2007 to Christopher Ashley
Christopher Ashley
Christopher Ashley is a stage director. Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse.In 1997, he completed The Drama League program for directors....
in order to take a position of leadership at Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival. In 2008, after a year sharing power with Don Shipley
Don Shipley
Don Shipley is a prominent Canadian stage director. He has led many theatre companies in Canada and Europe since the mid-1970s.Positions Shipley has held include:* Artistic Director at Victoria's Belfry Theatre from 1976 to 1979...
and Marti Maraden
Marti Maraden
Marti Maraden is a Canadian actor and director.She emigrated to Canada in 1968, and became a leading actor at the Stratford Festival in the 1970s....
, McAnuff became the sole artistic director at Stratford.
McAnuff has directed two motion pictures, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is a 2000 comedy film based on the television cartoon The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show by Jay Ward. The animated characters Rocky and Bullwinkle shared the screen with live actors portraying Fearless Leader , Boris Badenov , Natasha Fatale , and FBI agent Karen...
(2000) and Cousin Bette
Cousin Bette (film)
Cousin Bette is a 1998 British/American comedy-drama that stars Jessica Lange in the title role and based on the novel of the same name. It received lukewarm reviews and did very poorly at the box office.-Plot:...
(1998), both of which failed critically and at the box-office. However, the animated version of The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant is a 1999 animated film produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the 1968 novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. Brad Bird directed the film, which stars a voice cast of Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick, Jr., Vin Diesel, Eli Marienthal, Christopher McDonald and John Mahoney...
, which he served as producer, earned several awards.
McAnuff married actress Susan Berman in 1984 and the ceremony took place on the La Jolla Playhouse stage. The couple's divorce was finalized in 2009. They are the parents of Julia Violet McAnuff, born in 1990.
In 2010 McAnuff was the subject of a documentary special entitled Des McAnuff: A Life In Stages which was a part of the broadcast schedule on Bravo! in Canada for February 7, 2010.
During the 2011-2012 Season at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
he will direct a new production of Charles Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
's Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
starring soprano Marina Poplavskaya
Marina Poplavskaya
Marina Poplavskaya is a Russian operatic soprano. Her repertoire includes leading roles in operas of the Romantic era; she is particularly known for her performances in the operas of Verdi....
and tenor Jonas Kaufmann
Jonas Kaufmann
Jonas Kaufmann is a German operatic tenor. Although he has sung a variety of leading roles including both the Mozart and Wagner repertoire, he is particularly known for his performances in spinto roles such as Don José in Carmen, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur, and the title...
. This is a production originally premiered in 2010 at the English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
.
On Sunday, October 23rd, a tribute for McAnuff was given by staff and students from Ryerson's Theatre School.
Stage productions
- Big River (1985)
- A Walk in the Woods (1988)
- Dangerous Games (1989)
- The Who's Tommy (1993)
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995)
- Dracula, the Musical (2004)
- 700 Sundays (2004)
- Jersey Boys (2005)
- Guys & Dolls (2009)
Awards and nominations
McAnuff won Broadway's Tony Award as Best Director (Musical) in 1985 for Big River and in 1993 for The Who's Tommy. He was nominated twice during the 1990s: in 1993 for Best Book (Musical), with Pete TownshendPete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
on The Who's Tommy and in 1995 as Best Director (Musical) for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
He was nominated again in 2006 for Best Direction of a Musical, for Jersey Boys, based on the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Though he did not win, the production went on to win Best Musical that year.
Additionally, McAnuff was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Director of 1996 for The Who's Tommy at the Shaftesbury Theatre.