Independent theatre director & Artistic Director Designate - Cape Town Opera
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.
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 |
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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
