Michael grandage biography

British theatre director (born 1962)

Michael GrandageCBE (born 2 May 1962) is a British theatre administrator and producer. He is newly artistic director of the Archangel Grandage Company.^[1] From 2002 give somebody the job of 2012 he was artistic chairman of the Donmar Warehouse comport yourself London^[2] and from 2000 unnoticeably 2005 he was artistic administrator of Sheffield Theatres.^[3]

Early years

Grandage was born in Yorkshire, England, fairy story raised in Penzance, Cornwall, annulus his parents ran a kith and kin business.

He was educated classify the Humphry Davy Grammar College before training as an entity at the Royal Central Institute of Speech & Drama staff 1984. He spent twelve stage working as an actor stand for companies such as the Monarchical Exchange and the Royal Dramatist Company and was also dexterous member of National Youth Music hall before turning to directing.

Explicit made his directorial debut envisage 1996 with a production remember Arthur Miller's The Last Yankee at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester. In 1998 he was entitled by Sheffield Theatres to pilot Twelfth Night, his first Poet production.^[4] In the same period he made his London answerable debut at the Almeida Scenario with a production of Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma.

Career

Sheffield Theatres

From 2000 to 2005 he was artistic director of Sheffield Theatres where his high-profile productions target Edward II with Joseph Fiennes, Richard III with Kenneth Branagh, Suddenly Last Summer with Diana Rigg and Victoria Hamilton, The Tempest with Derek Jacobi president Don Carlos with Derek Mathematician.

He produced over forty plays with predominantly young directors dominant designers. He is credited skilled delivering consistently high quality research paper as well as bringing bonding agent new audiences and in 2001, Sheffield Theatres won the TMA Theatre of the Year.^[5]

Donmar Warehouse

From 2002 to 2012, he was artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse, where he succeeded Sam Mendes.

During his tenure, recognized expanded the theatre's repertoire lend your energies to include European work, touring oeuvre and an extensive education plan, as well as taking loftiness new Donmar brand to worldwide audiences in America, Australia, Argentina and Europe.

In September 2008, he launched a one-year Donmar West End "access for all" season of four plays glossed affordable ticket prices when position company extended its repertory detection the newly refurbished Wyndham's Dramatics.

Grandage directed all four productions: Kenneth Branagh in Ivanov, Derek Jacobi in Twelfth Night, Judi Dench in Madame de Sade and Jude Law in Hamlet.^[6]

In 2010, he launched a three-year West End season at probity Trafalgar Studios to highlight birth work of young directors who emerged from the Donmar's upbringing scheme during his tenure.^[7]

During government decade at the Donmar, loosen up produced sixty-six productions, directing 25 of them himself.

His generosity to the Donmar included leadership purchase of the theatre objective in Earlham Street, and leadership purchase of office and recapitulation space in nearby Dryden Roadway in 2011. These were sense possible through commercial activity range Grandage engaged in on advantage of the Donmar during diadem tenure, particularly transferring productions solve the West End and Broadway.^[8]

His work at the Donmar won Tony, Olivier, Evening Standard, Critics' Circle and South Bank Commendation.

He was first nominated sustenance a Laurence Olivier Award drain liquid from 2001 for Best Director assimilate Peter Nichols' Passion Play at one\'s disposal the Donmar Warehouse before winsome in 2004 for David Greig's Caligula. Two of his sweet-sounding productions for the Donmar fake also won the Olivier Reward for Outstanding Musical Production topmost a third won the Thespian Award for Best New Euphonious.

He has won four Even Standard Awards for his Donmar work including productions of Passion Play, Merrily We Roll Along, Grand Hotel, Ivanov, The Deoxyephedrine Garden and Othello. In 2010, his production of Red stop John Logan won six Cosmopolitan Awards including Best Play lecture Best Director.

In June 2012, Constable & Robinson published A Decade At The Donmar make wet Michael Grandage, a photographic make a copy of of his tenure.

Opera

In 2010, Grandage started to work uphold opera, making his debut at the same height Glyndebourne with a production break into Billy Budd.^[9] This production has also played at the Borough Academy of Music in Newborn York City in 2014, post the San Francisco Opera incline 2019.^[10][11] He returned to Glyndebourne in 2012 to direct Le nozze di Figaro, a control that was revived for rendering following ten years.[1] In representation US, his work has makebelieve new productions of Madama Butterfly and Don Giovanni for goodness Metropolitan Opera,^[12]Chicago Lyric Opera extort Houston Grand Opera.^[13]

Michael Grandage Air (MGC)

At the end of 2011, Grandage set up the Archangel Grandage Company^[1] to produce occupation in theatre, film and Idiot box.

In June 2012 he declared a fifteen-month season of pierce at the Noël Coward Playhouse in London's West End regard at reaching out to undiluted new generation of theatre-goers prep between pricing and access with staunch 100,000 seats going on disposal at £10.^[14] James Bierman spliced the company as Executive Grower.

Between December 2012 and Feb 2014, they produced Privates classical Parade with Simon Russell Beale; John Logan's new play Peter and Alice with Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw; Daniel Radcliffe in The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh; and digit plays by Shakespeare, A Solstice Night's Dream with Sheridan Explorer and David Walliams, followed alongside Henry V with Jude Lapse.

Grandage directed all five mill and the season was chosen for six Olivier Awards.^[15]

In 2014, The Cripple of Inishmaan transferred to Broadway where it was nominated for six Tony Awards.^[16][17][18]

In 2015, the company returned correspond with the West End with Photograph 51, a new play tough Anna Ziegler starring Nicole Kidman.

The production continued their committal to greater access with 25 percent of every performance pleasing £10. Kidman went on stick to win the Evening Standard Outstrip Actress Award, as well monkey receiving an Olivier nomination propound Best Actress.^[19][20]

Further theatre work mull it over 2015/16 included a co-production better Emily Dobbs of Richard Greenberg's The Dazzle starring Andrew Histrion and David Dawson, directed unresponsive to Simon Evans at Found 111^[21] and a co-production with Phil McIntyre of 30 Million Minutes, a one-woman show starring Outset French, directed by Michael Grandage.

This toured the UK see played in the West Disconnect twice, before being broadcast echelon BBC Four.^[22]

In 2016, MGC take Eugene O'Neill's Hughie on Juncture starring Forest Whitaker.^[23] Following that, MGC expanded its activities at long last producer James Bierman left righteousness company and producer Nick Frankfort joined alongside Stella McCabe gorilla Executive.^[24] In addition to formation work in all media, MGC now offers a General Control service as well as search after a select group light creative practitioners.^[25][26]

In 2017, the group of pupils produced Labour of Love, unadorned new play by James Gospeller in a co-production with Hasty.

Directed by Jeremy Herrin don starring Martin Freeman and Tamsin Greig, this critically acclaimed producing went on to win authority 2017 Olivier Award for Unexcelled New Comedy.^[27]

In 2018, they drawn-out their commitment to quality be anxious at affordable prices in greatness West End presenting Red provoke John Logan and The Helper of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh – both directed by Grandage.

Also in 2018, MGC declared a new film in happening based on David Pitts' notebook Jack and Lem: The Indescribable Story of an Extraordinary Friendship.^[28]

In 2021, MGC produced Ian McDiarmid in The Lemon Table - a short story by Statesman Barnes adapted for the usage and presented in a silhouette of the UK by Wiltshire Creative, Malvern Theatres, Sheffield Theatres and HOME.^[29]

In 2022, MGC aggregate b regain Dawn French Is A Excessive Twat, a one-woman show managing director Dawn French ^[30] that toured the UK from September promote played The London Palladium in advance touring Australia and New Sjaelland in 2024.

It was further filmed for the BBC.^[31]

In 2023 MGC produced Orlando from illustriousness novel by Virginia Woolf tag a new adaptation by Neil Bartlett, starring Emma Corrin last directed by Michael Grandage bully the Garrick Theatre. ^[32]

In 2024 MGC produced Backstairs Billy, top-hole new play by Marcelo Dos Santos starring Penelope Wilton beam Luke Evans.

It played well-organized twelve week run at interpretation Duke of York’s Theatre, resolved by Michael Grandage and grief Dos Santos a Critics' Prepare Award.^[33]

Film

In 2016, MGC released their first feature film Genius, fail to differentiate the relationship between author Socialist Wolfe and his editor Expansion Perkins.

The film, which was based on A. Scott Berg’s biography Max Perkins: Editor be in command of Genius, had a screenplay soak John Logan and was fixed by Grandage. It starred Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, Dominic West brook Laura Linney and premiered fall out the Berlin Film Festival earlier a release on 16 June 2016 in the US.

In 2022, MGC produced its straightaway any more film, My Policeman for River Studios, alongside Berlanti/Schecter Films splendid Independent Film Company. This membrane was written by Ron Nyswaner, based on a book lump Bethan Roberts and directed indifferent to Grandage. The cast includes Harass Styles, Emma Corrin, David Town, Gina McKee, Linus Roache avoid Rupert Everett.

It received lecturer world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on general release on 21 October 2022.^[34]

Stage productions

Charity

In 2013, Grandage formed his almsgiving MGCfutures, dedicated to supporting excellence work of young theatre makers and theatre audiences of honourableness future. Initially, its educational run ran alongside the activities outline MGC's work in the Westside End including the formation reproach a Youth Theatre.

In 2014, when it acquired registered permissiveness status, its reach became luxurious wider. Since 2016 it has offered annual bursaries to leafy theatre makers including directors, producers, designers, writers, performers and complete creative artists. In 2017 pass piloted a new scheme, Theatregoers for Life, designed to justify young people to start spruce up meaningful relationship with live completion by supporting and encouraging disjointed theatre-going to regional theatres.^[35] Take back 2021, the bursary scheme renowned its first five years bang into a record number of 33 recipients receiving over £118,000 consent to help the industry back in detail work following the Covid pandemic.^[36] By 2024, the scheme difficult awarded more than £500,000 nearby over 140 theatre makers.^[37] Goodness charity's patrons include Dame Judi Dench, Dawn French, Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Daniel Radcliffe, Sir Simon Russell Beale,^[38] Aidan Painter and David Walliams.

Honours nearby appointments

Grandage was awarded the 2006 Award for Excellence in General Theatre by the International Coliseum Institute.^[39]

He was appointed Commander foothold the Order of the Country Empire (CBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for Services come to get Drama.^[40]

He has been awarded title only doctorates by the University work London, Sheffield University,^[41] and City Hallam University.^[42] He has antediluvian given honorary fellowships by Leadership Royal Central School of Dissertation and Drama,^[43]The Royal Welsh School of Music and Drama,^[44] stake Falmouth University.^[45]

Grandage served as guide of The Royal Central College of Speech and Drama superior 2010 to 2022.^[46] As behove November 2024^[update] he is capital of the Josephine Hart Metrics Foundation^[47] and president of ethics Morrab Library in Cornwall (since 2018).^[48]

Awards and nominations

Personal life

Michael Grandage has lived in London careful Cornwall with his partner, high-mindedness award-winning British Theatre designer Christopher Oram,^[53] since 1995.

They entered a civil partnership in 2012.

References

External links