Michael Hunt
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Independent theatre director & Artistic Director Designate - Cape Town Opera
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Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, London
Recipient of the Perm State Prize for Culture, Russia
Italian Critics Award – Best European Opera Production
WLR Arts Person of the Year
Waterford Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
Irish Times Theatre Award – Best Director and Best Production nominations

2010 Allianz Foundation Lecture on European Theatre Arts, Berliner Staatsoper

My work in opera started as Staff Director assisting a number of very distinguished directors including: Sir David Pountney, Graham Vick, David Alden, John Copley, Joachim Herz, Keith Warner, Sir Nicholas Hytner, Sir Jonathan Miller and John Dexter, re-staging many of their productions at English National Opera.  My own work as a director has included new productions with many companies including: Perm State Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Opera Ireland, Wexford Festival, Las Palmas Festival, Portland Opera, Faroe Islands Festival, Cannes, Saumur, Le Mans, Bolzano and Operadagen Rotterdam.

Opera productions include: AIDA and MADAM BUTTERFLY - ENO, OEDIPUS REX and IOLANTHE - Scottish Opera, OEDIPUS REX - Opera North, LA TRAVIATA - Opera Ireland, HARMONIES OF HELL (world premiere) - Harrogate Festival, COSI FAN TUTTE - Cheltenham Arts Centre & Kensington Festival, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO - Cork Opera House, TANCREDI & LA BOHEME - Las Palmas Festival, LA TRAVIATA, CARMEN, DIE FLEDERMAUS, TOSCA, CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA - Co-Opera, FIDELIO - Perm Opera, THE TYRANT & HANSEL UND GRETEL - Bolzano Italy and Rotterdam Festival, Netherlands.

Musicals include ANYTHING GOES in London, the new FAFA SAVES THE FORREST (performed in classical Arabic) for Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar and Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in Perm, Russia.  Future musicals include David Bowie's LAZARUS in Russia.

In theatre, plays include  ALICE IN WONDERLAND - TUZ in Perm, Russia, Tom Stoppard's EGBDF - Teatr-Teatr in Perm, Russia,  PETER PAN and THE LION, WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - TUZ in Perm, Russia.  PERSUASION at Northcott Theatre - Exeter, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Town Hall Theatre - Galway, Perm Academic State Theatre - Teatr-Teatr - Russia, Perm Theatre for Young Spectators, Theatre Royal - Waterford, Cheltenham Arts Centre, Queen's Theatre - Hornchurch, Everyman Theatre - Cheltenham as well as New End, Tabard and Etcetera Theatres in London.  Other productions include:  STEEL MAGNOLIAS, AMADEUS, A DOLL'S HOUSE.

Recent plays include:  World premieres of PICASSO at the Playground Theatre, London and THE KNITTING PATTERN PLAY at Theatre503 in London.  In 2019 Michael directs a new production of Shakespeare's RICHARD III in London and a new opera ST JOAN in Poland and EUGENE ONEGIN in Serbia.  His London production of PICASSO is also scheduled for transfer to New York, USA.   

Michael has held the following posts:  Director of Performing Arts, Riverside Studios in London;     Associate Director, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham;  Artistic Director of the touring opera company Co-Opera in Ireland;  Associate Director of the Belltable Arts Centre in Limerick;  Artistic Director of the Theatre Royal in Waterford and Chief Executive of the world famous Wexford Opera Festival in Ireland.       

He has been a Visiting Lecturer in Theatre Design at Wimbledon School of Art in London and The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.    He has Lectured in Theatre Directing and has been a regular contributor to the Space of the Director Festival in Perm, where he was the first International Director at both Teatr-Teatr and TUZ theatres.                                  
Selected Stage Directing - plays
 
  
PETER PAN
JM Barrie
Perm Theatre for Young Spectators, Russia
EGBDF
Tom Stoppard
Perm State Academic Theatre, Russia - Russian Premiere
AMADEUS
Peter Shaffer
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS
Denis Potter
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham & Community Tour
PERSUASSION
Jane Austen/Healy
Northcott Theatre, Exeter & Theatre Royal, Windsor, UK
STEEL MAGNOLIAS
Harling
Queen's Theatre, London
ANATOL
Schnitzler
Tabard Theatre, London
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Oscar Wilde
Town Hall Theatre, Galway & Tour, Ireland
A DOLL'S HOUSE
Henrick Ibsen
Town Hall Theatre, Galway & Tour, Ireland
PETER PAN
JM Barrie
Theatre Royal Waterford, Ireland
Selected Stage Directing - operas
  
         
HANSEL UND GRETEL
Humperdinck
Bolzano, Italy
THE TYRANT
Paul Dresher
Bolzano, Italy
FIDELIO
Beethoven
Perm State Opera & Perm 36, site-specific, Russia
OEDIPUS REX
Stravinsky
Scottish Opera & Opera North, UK
IOLANTHE
G&S
Scottish Opera
THE PEARL FISHERS
Bizet
Portland Opera, USA
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Puccini
English National Opera
AIDA
Verdi
English National Opera
ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD
Offenbach
English National Opera - 3 revivals
FIDELIO
Beethoven
English National Opera - revival
PARSIFAL
Wagner
English National Opera - revival
TANCREDI
Rossini
Las Palmas, Spain
LA TRAVIATA
Verdi
Opera Ireland
CARMEN
Bizet
Co-Opera, Ireland
DIE FLEDERMAUS
Strauss
Co-Opera, Ireland
LA BOHEME
Puccini
Co-Opera, Ireland
HARMONIES OF HELL
Giles Swayne
Harrogate Festival, UK - World Premiere
LE NOZZE DI CHERUBINO
Giles Swayne
Co-Opera, UK - World Premiere
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Mozart
Cork European City of Culture, Ireland
TOSCA
Puccini
Theatre Royal Waterford & Co-Opera, site-specific, Ireland
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Mascagni
Co-Opera, Ireland
COSI FAN TUTTE
Mozart
Co-Opera, Ireland
RIGOLETTO
Verdi
Theatre Royal Waterford & Co-Opera, Ireland
EUGENE ONEGIN
Tchaikovsky
Royal Academy of Music
LA BOHEME
Puccini
Royal Albert Hall - arena production
MIREILLE
Gounod
Neptune Theatre, Liverpool - British Premiere
THE QUEEN OF GOLCONDA
Berwald
Nottingham - British Premiere
HEUTE ABEND, LOLA BLAU!
Kreisler
Theatre Royal Waterford, Ireland
LA TRAVIATA
Verdi
Co-Opera, Ireland
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Mozart
Sadlers' Wells Theatre/British Youth Opera, London

CONSULTANCY                                         
                                                      Opera Ireland – Strategic Development Document
                                                      Sorus Foundation and Open Society Fund, Prague
MEMBERSHIPS                                           
                                                      International Panel of the Belvedere Singing Competition, Vienna
                                                      Member Berwald Committee, Stockholm, Sweden
                                                      Member of the Royal Institution, London

TEACHING                                                    
                                                      Central School of Speech and Drama
                                                      Academy Drama School
                                                      LAMDA
                                                      Royal Academy of Music
                                                      Birmingham School of Music
                                                      Wimbledon School of Art
                                                      Central/St Martin’s School of Art
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