Desmond Steven McAnuff (born June 19, 1952) is the

American-Canadian American Canadians are Canadians of American descent. The term is most often used to refer to Canadians who migrated from or have ancestry from the United States. Demography According to the 2016 Census, 29,590 Canadians reported American as ...

former artistic director of Canada's Stratford Festival and director of such Broadway musical theatre productions as '' Big River'', ''

The Who's Tommy ''The Who's Tommy'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff. It is based on the 1969 rock opera '' Tommy'' by The Who. Productions The musical opened at La Jolla Playhouse in San Dieg ...

'' and ''

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 presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of the ...

''.

Biography

Born in

Princeton, Illinois Princeton is a city in and the county seat of Bureau County, Illinois, Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,832 at the 2020 census. Princeton is part of the Ottawa, Illinois, Ottawa Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

to John Nelson and Ellen Boyd, McAnuff is a citizen of United States and Canada. He lived briefly in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, attending grade 4 at St. George's Public School. His family then moved to

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

, at the time a suburb of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, and attended high school at

Woburn Collegiate Institute Woburn Collegiate Institute (Woburn CI, WCI, or Woburn) is a non-semestered, English-language public secondary school on Ellesmere Road in the Woburn neighbourhood of the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada operated by the To ...

where he made his first theatrical appearance in the school's production of ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'', playing the role of Kurt. Later, with the help of two friends, he wrote the music and lyrics to a

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 conc ...

called ''Urbania'', which was performed by the high school drama club. He attended

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...

, but never completed his degree. In June 2011, he was awarded an honorary degree by the

Ryerson Theatre School Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...

. McAnuff 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, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where he co-founded the Dodger Theatre Company in 1978, where he also directed the first production, entitled ''

Gimme Shelter "Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. Released as the opening track from band's 1969 album ''Let It Bleed''. The song covers topics of war, murder, rape and fear. It features prominent guest vocals by American singe ...

''. He is a former faculty member of the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. McAnuff was artistic director of the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

, 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 ''A Mad World, My Masters'' is a Jacobean stage play written by Thomas Middleton, a comedy first performed around 1605 and first published in 1608. The title had been used by a pamphleteer, Nicholas Breton, in 1603, and was later the origin fo ...

'', ''My Masters'', '' Big River'','' As You Like It'', ''

The Sea Gull ''The Sea Gull'' is a 1968 British-American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Moura Budberg is adapted and translated from Anton Chekhov's classic 1896 play ''The Seagull''. The Warner Bros.-Seven Arts release was filmed a ...

'', ''

The Matchmaker ''The Matchmaker'' is a 1954 play by Thornton Wilder, a rewritten version of his 1938 play ''The Merchant of Yonkers''. History The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce ''A Day Well Spent'' had been exte ...

'', '' A Walk in the Woods'', ''Two Rooms'', ''80 Days'', '' Macbeth'', '' A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum'', ''

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 Vi ...

'', '' Three Sisters'', ''

Elmer Gantry ''Elmer Gantry'' is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of America in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. The novel's protagonis ...

'', ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'', ''

'' and ''

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' may refer to: * ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (book), a 1952 book written by Shepherd Mead and the inspiration for the musical of the same name. * ''How to Succeed in Bu ...

''. He turned over his leadership of the playhouse in 2005 to

Michael Greif Michael Greif (born ca. 1959 in Brooklyn, New YorkWelsh, Anne Marie, "New York and family call Michael Greif home", ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', October 10, 1999, p.E-1) is an American stage director. He has won three Obie Awards and received ...

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 ''La Cousine Bette'' (, ''Cousin Bette (given name), Bette'') is an 1846 novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. Set in mid-19th-century Paris, it tells the story of an unmarried middle-aged woman who plots the destruction of her extended fami ...

'' (1998), both of which failed critically and at the box-office. However, the animated version of ''

The Iron Giant ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and directed by Brad Bird in his directorial debut. It is based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was publis ...

'', which he served as producer, earned several awards. 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! CTV Drama Channel (formerly known as Bravo) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Bell Media. The channel was founded as the Canadian version of the U.S. channel Bravo (which is now owned by NBCUniversal) on January 1, 1995 b ...

in Canada for February 7, 2010. During the 2011-12 Season at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...

he directed a new production of

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

'' starring soprano Marina Poplavskaya and tenor

Jonas Kaufmann Jonas Kaufmann (born 10 July 1969) is a German operatic tenor. He is best known for the versatility of his repertoire, performing a variety of opera roles in multiple languages in recitalTommasini, Anthony (21 February 2014)"A Tenor Finds Energy ...

. On Sunday, October 23, 2011, a tribute for McAnuff was given by staff and students from Ryerson's Theatre School.

Personal life

McAnuff married actress Susan Berman ( Smithereens) in 1984; the couple has one daughter, Julia McAnuff, who played a young Karen Sympathy in '' The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle''. The couple divorced in 2009. In 2012, McAnuff married Bryna McCann.

Stage productions

* '' Big River'' (1985) * '' A Walk in the Woods'' (1988) * ''Dangerous Games'' (1989) * ''

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1995) * ''Tartuffe'' (2002) * ''

Dracula, the Musical ''Dracula, the Musical'' is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. The show had its regional premiere at the La Jolla Pl ...

'' (2004) * ''

700 Sundays ''700 Sundays'' is an autobiography written by Billy Crystal. The title refers to the number of Sundays shared by Billy and his father, Jack Crystal, who died when Billy was 15. Broadway Crystal's stage adaptation was originally produced in 2004 ...

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2005) * '' Romeo and Juliet'' (2008) * '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' (2008) *''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'' (2009) * '' Macbeth'' (2009) * '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (2009) * '' As You Like It'' (2010) * '' The Tempest'' (2010) * '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' (2011) * ''

'' (2011) * ''A Word or Two'' (2012) * ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1 ...

'' (2012) * ''

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporat ...

'' (2012) * ''The Who's Tommy'' (2013) * ''700 Sundays'' (2014) * '' Summer: The Donna Summer Musical'' (2017) (book writer and director) *'' Ain't Too Proud'' (2017)

Awards and nominations

McAnuff has won two Tony Awards: as Best Director (Musical) in 1985 for ''Big River'' and again in 1993 for ''The Who's Tommy''. He was nominated in 1993 for Best Book (Musical), with

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

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. Although he did not win, the production won Best Musical that year. In 2019 he received another Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Musical for ''Ain't Too Proud''. He was awarded the

Laurence Olivier Theatre Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Best Director of 1996 for ''The Who's Tommy'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre. In May 2012, McAnuff received the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of ...

Award, a companion award of the

Governor General's Performing Arts Awards A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts. He was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada (CM) in 2013.

References

External links

* *
Des McAnuff ''Downstage Center'' interview at AmericanTheatreWing.org

''Mise en Scène''
a short film tribute for McNuff's National Arts Centre Award,

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:McAnuff, Des 1952 births Living people American musical theatre directors Harvard University staff Laurence Olivier Award winners Film directors from Illinois People from Princeton, Illinois Tony Award winners Members of the Order of Canada Film directors from Toronto People from Scarborough, Toronto Toronto Metropolitan University alumni Drama Desk Award winners American people of Canadian descent Canadian people of American descent Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners Canadian artistic directors

Biography

Personal life

Stage productions

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

External links