William Alexander Paterson (born 23 February 1948) known professionally as Bill Alexander is a British

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

who is best known for his work with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

and as artistic director of

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

. He currently works as a freelance, internationally as a theatre director and most recently as a director of BBC Radio 4 drama.

Early years

William Alexander Paterson was born in

Hunstanton Hunstanton () is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, which had a population of 4,229 at the 2011 Census. It faces west across The Wash, making it one of the few places on the east coast of Great Britain where the sun sets over the sea. Hunstant ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on 23 February 1948 to William and Rosemary Paterson (née McCormack). He was a boarder at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate, Kent before going on to

Keele University Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...

(1969–1973) where he studied English and founded an experimental theatre group called Guerilla Theatre based on the principles of the Polish theatre director

Jerzy Grotowski Jerzy Marian Grotowski (; 11 August 1933 – 14 January 1999) was a Polish theatre director and theorist whose innovative approaches to acting, training and theatrical production have significantly influenced theatre today. He was born in Rzesz ...

Early career

In 1974, Alexander began his career as a Trainee Director at the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

. His productions included ''Butley'' by

Simon Gray Simon James Holliday Gray (21 October 1936 – 7 August 2008) was an English playwright and memoirist who also had a career as a university lecturer in English literature at Queen Mary, University of London, for 20 years. While teaching at Que ...

, ''

How the Other Half Loves ''How the Other Half Loves'' is a 1969 play in two acts by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It is a farce following the consequences of an adulterous affair between a married man and his boss’s wife and their attempts to cover their tracks ...

'' by

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2021, more than eighty full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of ...

, Shakespeare's ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'',

Blythe Spirit ''Blythe Spirit'' is jazz saxophonist Arthur Blythe's fourth album for the Columbia label, recorded in New York City in 1981. Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states: "This is one of the most well-rounded Arthur Blythe records from h ...

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

. In 1975 he joined the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

as an assistant director. His production of ''

Class Enemy The term enemy of the people or enemy of the nation, is a designation for the political or class opponents of the subgroup in power within a larger group. The term implies that by opposing the ruling subgroup, the "enemies" in question are ac ...

'' by Nigel Williams won the

Binkie Beaumont Hugh "Binkie" Beaumont (27 March 190822 March 1973) was a British theatre manager and producer, sometimes referred to as the "éminence grise" of the West End theatre. Though he shunned the spotlight so that his name was not known widely among ...

Award for Best New Director.

At the Royal Shakespeare Company

Alexander joined the RSC in 1977 as assistant to

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas f ...

and John Barton. Initially, he worked in the RSC's two studio theatres: The Warehouse in London (primarily devoted to new plays) and The Other Place in Stratford (dedicated to a mixture of new plays and the re-discovery of classics by performing them on a small scale). He also worked at The Pit studio space which replaced The Warehouse when the RSC moved to the Barbican. In 14 years at the RSC, Alexander's studio productions included ''Factory Birds'' by James Robson (Warehouse), ''Captain Swing'' by

Peter Whelan Peter Whelan (3 October 1931 – 3 July 2014) was a British playwright. Whelan was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, England. As a student from 1951–55 Whelan was an inspirational figure in the newly-formed Drama Society at the experimental ...

(TOP), ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'' by Molière (PIT), ''

Volpone ''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perform ...

'' by Ben Jonson (TOP and PIT), ''The Accrington Pals'' by

(Warehouse), ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerni ...

'' by William Shakespeare (TOP and PIT) with

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 20 ...

as Imogen. Alexander's first production on the RSC main stage was ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'' (with

Antony Sher Sir Antony Sher (14 June 1949 – 2 December 2021) was a British actor, writer and theatre director of South African origin. A two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner and a four-time nominee, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 and ...

as Richard) in 1984. This production, for which

Anthony Sher Sir Antony Sher (14 June 1949 – 2 December 2021) was a British actor, writer and theatre director of South African origin. A two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner and a four-time nominee, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 and ...

won the

Olivier Award for Best Actor The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards i ...

later transferred to the

Barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer fortifications, defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe ...

. In 1980 he directed

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...

Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Ofte ...

at the Cameri Theatre, Tel Aviv. In 1986, Alexander's production of ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' won him the

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director The Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, an ...

. In 2014, Michael Billington, the Guardian's theatre critic chose this production as one of his 'Best'. Alexander's other productions for the RSC included ''A Midsummer Nights Dream'' (1986) with

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ac ...

as Robin Starveling, ''Twelfth Night'' with

as Viola, and

Deborah Findlay Deborah Findlay (born 23 December 1947) is an English actress. She joined a theatre company while studying English at the University of Leeds. Career Findlay has worked primarily on stage and appeared in numerous productions, including the origi ...

as Olivia 1987/88,''The Merchant of Venice'' with Antony Sher as Shylock in 1987, ''Cymbeline'' with David Bradley and

in 1998, ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in 1991, ''The Taming of the Shrew'' in 1992, and ''Titus Andronicus'' in 2003. About the latter Alexander said,"I've also discovered what I like about Titus: it's the best play about revenge that I can think of. Revenge is such a difficult idea to deal with. Everyone knows it's "a bad thing", yet everyone understands the phrase "revenge is sweet". Titus shows revenge's seductiveness, the impulse in us all that the law is there to control. It is a work of lurid genius because it reminds us of the fundamental truths about the role of law in a just society."

Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Alexander left the RSC to become Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1992. His productions there included: * 1993 ''Othello'' *1993 '' The Snowman'' adapted from the book by Raymond Briggs * 1993 ''The Merchant of Venice'' * 1993 ''Old Times'' by Harold Pinter * 1994 ''The Tempest'' * 1995 ''Macbeth'' with

James Purefoy James Brian Mark Purefoy (born 3 June 1964) is an English actor. He played Mark Antony in the HBO series ''Rome'', Nick Jenkins in ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', college professor turned serial killer Joe Carroll in the series ''The Following ...

* 1995 ''The Servant'' by Robin Maugham * 1995 ''The Way of the World'' by William Congreve * 1996 ''The Alchemist'' (later transferred to the National Theatre) * 1996''Divine Right'' by Peter Whelan * 1998 ''Hamlet'' * 1998 ''Frozen'' by Bryony Lavery (later transferred to the National Theatre) * 1999 ''Nativity'' by Peter Whelan * 2000 ''Twelfth Night'' * 2000 ''Absurd Person Singular'' by Alan Ayckbourn

Later work

Alexander's work since 2000 has included: * 2001 - Theatre Clwyd - ''An Enemy of the People'' * 2001 - Northampton Rep - ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' * 2002 - National Theatre - ''Frozen'' (Bryony Lavery), revival of Alexander’s award-winning production starring Josie Lawrence, Anita Dobson and Tom Georgeson * 2003 - National Theatre - ''Mappa Mundi'' (Shelagh Stephenson), world premiere starring Lia Williams and Alun Armstrong * 2004 - RSC - ''Titus Andronicus'' starring David Bradley * 2005 - RSC - ''King Lear'' starring Corin Redgrave * 2007 - Zurich Ballet -''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' * 2008 - Mark Taper Forum Los Angeles - ''The School of the Night'' (Peter Whelan), revival of Alexander's award-winning production for the RSC * 2009 - Nottingham Playhouse - ''Glamour'' (Stephen Lowe) * 2011 - The Arts Theatre London - ''Bette and Joan'' (Anton Burge) * 2011 – 2015 Productions at LAMDA: Twelfth Night, Summerfolk, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice. * 2012 - NWCTC Portland USA - ''Othello'' * 2012 - UK tour - ''Bette and Joan'' (Anton Burge) * 2014 – 2015 Summer school for Shakespeare in Italy at University of Urbino. * 2015 BBC Radio4 Classic Serial - ''The Sea, The Sea'' (starring Jeremy Irons) * 2015 Production at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School of The Merchant of Venice. * 2017 Bristol Old Vic Theatre School - The Two Gentlemen of Verona * 2017 LAMDA - As You Like It * 2017 voice-over for 50 Years of Fish & Chips * 2018 Bristol Old Vic Theatre School - The Taming of the Shrew * 2020 Shakespeare in Italy - a specialist blog, Shakespeare in the rehearsal room https://www.shakespeareinitaly.org.uk/News-Blog/Blog

Awards

In 1978, Alexander received the Binkie Beaumont Award for Best New Director and in 1986, the

for ''

'' at the RSC.

Personal life

In 1977, Alexander married actor and painter

Juliet Harmer Juliet Linda Harmer (born 11 May 1941) is an English artist, children's author and actress who was best known in the role of Georgina Jones in the BBC TV series ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' (1966–67). Early career Juliet Harmer trained as a Pri ...

. They have two daughters and four grandchildren.

References

External links

Bill Alexander
at the

Internet off-Broadway Database The Internet Off-Broadway Database (IOBDB), also formerly known as the Lortel Archives, is an online database that catalogues theatre productions shown off-Broadway. The IOBDB was funded and developed by the non-profit Lucille Lortel Foundation ...

*
DeBrett's

The Royal Shakespeare Company

Northwest Classical Theatre Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Bill 1948 births Living people Laurence Olivier Award winners British theatre directors People from Hunstanton