Guy Alexander Masterson (''Mastroianni''; born 10 August 1961) is a British actor, writer, theatre director, producer and playwright widely known for his solo theatre performances of ''

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...

'', ''

Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to crea ...

'', and ''Shylock'' by

Gareth Armstrong Gareth S. Armstrong (born 25 June 1948) is a British actor, director, teacher and writer. Career Armstrong began his career by acting in school plays at the Bishop Gore School, Swansea. At the age of 16 he joined the National Youth Theatre; ...

. He is a regular producer at the annual

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

and responsible for several of its most notable productions including ''

Twelve Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a 1 ...

'' in 2003, ''

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

'' in 2005 and ''

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

'' in 2009 – which transferred to London's West End and won a

Laurence Olivier 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 as ...

for Best Entertainment.

Personal life

Masterson was born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, North London, to Carlo Libinick Mastroianni and Marian Mastroianni (née James). He attended Hadley Wood Primary School,

Christ's Hospital School Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 155 ...

, Horsham. He then went on to

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

where he obtained a Joint honours degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry. After graduating in 1982, he emigrated to Los Angeles, California where he took his first salaried job in Hotel & Restaurant Management with Hilton Hotels where he served, among other celebrities, O. J. Simpson and

Nicole Brown Simpson Nicole Brown Simpson (née Brown; May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994) was the ex-wife of the former professional American football player, O. J. Simpson, to whom she was married from 1985 to 1992. She was the mother of their two children, Sydney an ...

and

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by exce ...

. He returned to the UK in 1989 and continued his professional career after studying for a year at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). In October 1998 his met Brigitta Scholz, a German actress/model living in Paris and they married in January 1999. Their first child, Indigo Scholz-Mastroianni, was born in September 1999. Their second child, Tallulah Scholz-Mastroianni, was born in June 2005. The family resides in London.

Professional life

In 1984, his great uncle, the actor

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

, died and Masterson (then Mastroianni) was persuaded to attend an acting class. He enrolled at UCLA's Extension Drama Programme for two semesters before auditioning and winning his first leading role in the Equity Waiver musical ''The Wonderful World of Waiver!'' His first professional job was understudying the roles of both Mick and Aston in ''

The Caretaker ''The Caretaker'' is a play in three acts by Harold Pinter. Although it was the sixth of his major works for stage and television, this psychological study of the confluence of power, allegiance, innocence, and corruption among two brothers an ...

'' at the LA Theatre Center. After performing in a number of plays in Los Angeles including ''The Elephant Man'' by

Bernard Pomerance Bernard Pomerance (September 23, 1940 – August 26, 2017) was an American playwright and poet whose best known work is the play ''The Elephant Man (play), The Elephant Man''. Biography Pomerance was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1940. He s ...

, ''The Yorkshire Tragedy'' - a disputed

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

text, ''City Gents'' by

Ron Hart Ronald Terence Hart (born 7 November 1961) is a former cricketer who played a single One Day International for New Zealand in 1985. Hart also played for Nelson in the Hawke Cup The Hawke Cup is a non-first-class cricket competition for New ...

''The Private Ear & The Public Eye'' by

Peter Shaffer Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (; 15 May 1926 – 6 June 2016) was an English playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He wrote numerous award-winning plays, of which several were adapted into films. Early life Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in L ...

he returned to London to study at

LAMDA LaMDA, which stands for Language Model for Dialogue Applications, is a family of conversational neural language models developed by Google. The first generation was announced during the 2021 Google I/O keynote, while the second generation was a ...

– The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art – on the Postgraduate Course, graduating in 1990. After a number of collapsed projects, he self-produced his first solo work – ''The Boy's Own Story'' by

Peter Flannery Peter Flannery (born 12 October 1951) is an English playwright and screenwriter. He was born in Jarrow, County Durham and educated at the University of Manchester. He is best known for his work while a resident playwright at the Royal Shake ...

in 1991, and toured to various schools and other small arts venues around the UK including the Chelsea Centre Theatre where he was seen by a major casting director who cast him in ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'' with Robert Lindsay and

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for th ...

. This played at the

Theatre Royal, Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

in London's West End for nine months, during which Masterson committed ''

'' by

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

to memory for his 2nd solo performance. ''Under Milk Wood'' officially premiered at The

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco. The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary pla ...

in Edinburgh in February 1994 and was such a critical success that he was invited to present the show at the Assembly Rooms during the 1994

. During this period, he also directed a one-man show about the life of actor

- ''Playing Burton'' by Mark Jenkins starring the Welsh actor Josh Richards which garnered much critical acclaim. Both ''

'' and ''Playing Burton'' then achieved great success at the 1994

, and transferred to

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment in ...

London, and from there, both shows toured around the UK for several years. The success of Masterson's solo ''

'' led to his adapting another great British classic for solo performance – ''

'' by

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

, which premiered at the

on Burns Night (25 January) 1995, and thence at the Assembly Rooms at the 1995

, where the entire run sold out prior to its opening performance. Both ''Animal Farm'' and ''Under Milk Wood'' then toured extensively domestically and internationally for several years including major tours all over India (1996) and New Zealand (1997). In 1996, Masterson directed a production of ''The House of Correction'' by Norman Lock for the Edinburgh Fringe and presented it at the Pleasance where it received a Stage Award for Best Actress * for Beth Fitzgerald. In 1997, Masterson presented a Kiwi production ''The Ballad of Jimmy Costello'' with

Tim Balme Timothy Guy Balme (born 18 January 1967) is a New Zealand actor and screenwriter. He's most well known for his roles on the long-running soap opera ''Shortland Street'' and ''Mercy Peak'', as well as lead roles in the cult favourites ''Braindea ...

at the Assembly Rooms

where he also presented ''Playing Burton'', ''Bye By Blackbird'' by Willard Simms and ''

Shylock Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''The Merchant of Venice'' (c. 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity form the climax of the ...

'' by

. All the shows were critically successful with each artiste garnering a Stage Award nomination for Best Actor or Actress. His early years at the

were followed by appearances & presentations over the subsequent 26 festivals where he, through his company, Theatre Tours Internationa

presented over 150 more shows, mostly at the Assembly Rooms, but also at

The Pleasance The Pleasance is a theatre, bar, sports and recreation complex in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated on a street of the same name. It is owned by the University of Edinburgh, and for nine months of the year it serves the Edinburgh University Stude ...

and the

. Many of these productions were co-presentations with international companies of great repute, and their multiple and varied award nominations enhanced Masterson's own reputation as a producer of renown. In 1998, his co-presentation of ''Skin Tight'' by New Zealand writer Gary Henderson won a

Scotsman Fringe First Award The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

. In 1999, his co-presentation of ''Krishnan's Dairy'' with the New Zealand actor/writer

Jacob Rajan Jacob Rajan is a Malaysian-born-New Zealand playwright and actor. His highly successful plays include the trilogy ''Krishnan's Dairy'', ''The Candlestick Maker'' and ''The Pickle King''. Another work was ''The Dentist's Chair''. In 2002, he r ...

won a

and a Stage Best Actor nomination for Rajan.

Linda Marlowe Linda Virginia Marlowe (née Bathurst, born 26 July 1940) is an Australian-born British film, theatre, and television actress. She is noted for her association with Steven Berkoff, performing in many of his theatrical works, creating a one-woman ...

also received a Stage Best Actress Award Nomination for ''Berkoff's Women''. Masterson also directed

Pip Utton Pip Utton is a British actor and playwright. Utton was born 15 February 1952, raised and educated in Cannock. He authored the award-winning ''Adolf (drama), Adolf'', ''Chaplin'' and ''Only The Lonely''. As one of the leading solo performers in ...

's ''Adolf'' which was one of the biggest hits of the Fringe that year and subsequently became one of the most successful solo shows of all time. In 2000, Masterson introduced the work of the eminent New York writer/director John Clancy – a founder member of the

New York International Fringe Festival The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, was a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It took place over the course of a few weeks in October, spread on more than 20 stages across seve ...

, to the

where his production of ''Americana Absurdum'' by Brian Parks won a

, as did Masterson's co-production of New Zealand writer

Toa Fraser Toa Fraser (born 1975) is a New Zealand born playwright and film director, of Fijian heritage. His first feature film, '' No. 2'', starring Ruby Dee won the Audience Award (World Dramatic) at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. His second, ''Dean ...

's ''Number Two''. Stage Award nominations for Best Actress were also received by

Madeleine Sami Madeleine Nalini Sami is a New Zealand actress, director, comedian and musician. She started her acting career in theatre before moving to television, where she created, wrote, and starred in ''Super City''. She co-wrote, co-directed, and starr ...

(for ''Number Two'') and Jules Leyser for ''All Words For Sex'' which Masterson directed. This subsequently played at London's

Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces. The the ...

. 2001 saw Masterson present 8 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe including his own performance of a compilation of

short stories and poems ''Fern Hill & Other Dylan Thomas'

for which Masterson received the Stage Best Actor award. A nomination was also received for

's ''Resolution'

which Masterson directed. 2002, Masterson presented 10 shows at the Edinburgh fringe co-presenting 4 with John Clancy including ''Horse Country'' by C.J. Hopkins; ''Cincinnati'' by

Don Nigro Don Nigro is an American playwright; his plays ''Anima Mundi'' and ''The Dark Sonnets of the Lady'' have both been nominated for the National Repertory Theatre Foundation's National Play Award. He has won a Playwright's Fellowship Grant from the ...

; ''Goner'' by Brian Parks and ''The Complete Lost Works of Samuel Beckett As Found in an Envelope Marked 'Never To Be produced, Never, Ever, Ever, Or I'll Sue, I'll Sue From The Grave'' by Theater Oobleck and the

Neo-Futurists The Neo-Futurists are an experimental theater troupe founded by Greg Allen in 1988, based on an aesthetics of honesty, speed and brevity. Neo-Futurists in theatre were inspired by the Italian Futurist movement from the early 20th century. Origin ...

. This programme of work won two

Scotsman Fringe First awards The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...

for ''Horse Country'' & ''Cincinnati'' The Scotsman Best of the Firsts award for ''Horse Country''; The Jack Tinker Spirit of the Fringe Award for Nancy Walsh-Clancy; The Herald Angel award; ''Horse Country'', The Stage Best Actor Award for David Calvitto for ''Horse Country'', and Stage Award Best Actress nomination for Nancy Walsh-Clancy for ''Cincinnati''. 2003 saw Masterson create the first of three biggest theatre successes at the Edinburgh Fringe. ''

12 Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

'' by

Reginald Rose Reginald Rose (December 10, 1920 – April 19, 2002) was an American screenwriter. He wrote about controversial social and political issues. His realistic approach was particularly influential in the anthology programs of the 1950s. Rose w ...

, an all comedian revival at the Assembly Rooms including

Bill Bailey Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom ''Black Books'' and his appearances on the panel shows ''Never Mind the ...

as Juror 4,

Phil Nichol Phil Nichol is a Canadian comedian, singer-songwriter and actor. Early life and career Comedy Nichol was born in Scotland to a Scottish mother, but raised in Canada. He first found fame as a member of the musical comedy trio Corky and the Juice ...

as Juror 10,

Owen O'Neill Owen O'Neill is a Northern Irish writer, actor, director, and comedian. Early life O'Neill was born, the third eldest of 16 children, in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. He has drawn on his upbringing in Cookstown for some of his more colourful ch ...

as Juror 8,

Stephen Frost Stephen Frederick Eustace Frost (born 28 December 1955) is an English actor and comedian. Early life Frost was born in Redruth, Cornwall, and is the son of the abstract artist Terry Frost and brother of painter Anthony Frost. Career Work w ...

as Juror 3 and

Russell Hunter Adam Russell Hunter (18 February 1925 – 26 February 2004) was a Scottish television, stage and film actor. He played Lonely in the TV thriller series ''Callan'', starring Edward Woodward, and shop steward Harry in the Yorkshire Television si ...

as Juror 9 during the

which broke the existing box office record for drama at the Fringe and garnered much critical acclaim. This production won The Strathmore Audience Award and a nomination for The Stage Awards Best Ensemble. Masterson also received a Stage Award Nomination for Best Actor for his solo ''

''. In 2004, Masterson originated a production of Dale Wasserman's ''

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (play) ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1963) is a play based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same name. Productions Dale Wasserman's stage adaptation, with music by Teiji Ito, made its Broadway preview on November 12, 1963, its premiere on Novemb ...

'' starring

Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He made his film debut with a leading role in ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role as Jason "J.D." D ...

and

Mackenzie Crook Paul James "Mackenzie" Crook (born 29 September 1971) is an English actor, comedian, director and writer. He played Gareth Keenan in ''The Office'', Ragetti in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films, Orell in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', ...

but was forced to step-down from the production due to ill-health prior to opening. The show went on to break box office records at the

, two West End runs, and a Number One U.K. tour with

Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...

. Masterson's acclaimed production of ''

'' was invited to

Perth International Arts Festival Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

and

New Zealand Festival of the Arts Aotearoa New Zealand Festival is a multi-arts biennial festival based in Wellington New Zealand that started in 1986. Previous names are the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, New Zealand International Arts Festival, New Zealand Arts ...

where it sold every ticket. Masterson later remounted the production with Arts Projects Australia and Adrian Bohm with an all star Australian cast at QPAC Brisbane,

Sydney Theatre The Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay is a theatre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The theatre is on Hickson Road at Walsh Bay, west of The Wharf Theatre, opposite Pier 6/7 on Walsh Bay. It seats up to 896 people. Originally named as the Syd ...

and

Melbourne Athenaeum The Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum is an art and cultural hub in the Melbourne city centre, central business district of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1839, it is the city's oldest cultural institution. It ...

including

Shane Bourne Shane Bourne (born 24 November 1949 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and television host. Career 1970s Co-founded Australian band Bandicoot with Mick Fettes (formerly of the band Madder Lake). They ...

as Juror 3,

Peter Phelps Peter Phelps (born 20 September 1960 in Sydney) is an Australian actor, singer and writer. He is notable for his role as Trevor Cole in ''Baywatch''. Phelps is also known for his roles in the internationally successful Australian series '' So ...

as Juror 4,

Marcus Graham Marcus Graham (born 11 October 1963) is an Australian film, television (including both serials and mini-series) and stage actor and director, with roles including ''Mulholland Drive'' and '' Josh Jarman''. He was known as a teenage heartthrob i ...

as Juror 8,

George Kapiniaris George Kapiniaris is an Australian stage, television and film actor and comedian. He is of Greek descent and is best known for his role in popular sitcom ''Acropolis Now'' and composed the series' theme song. Professional background Theatre ...

as Juror 2 and

Henri Szeps Henri Szeps OAM, (born 2 October 1943) alternatively Henry Szeps, is an Australian character actor of theatre and television. He has also featured in films and worked in voice roles, and has worked in productions in the United Kingdom. Early ...

as Juror 9. This production won three 2005 Melbourne

Green Room Awards The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...

and a nomination for Best Play at the national

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical t ...

. In 2005, Masterson directed the most successful ever theatre production at the

, ''

'' by

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

starring comedians

Alan Davies Alan Roger Davies (; born 6 March 1966) is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actor and TV presenter. He is best known for his portrayal of the title role in the BBC mystery drama series ''Jonathan Creek'' (1997–2016) and as the only perm ...

Dave Johns David Alan Johns (born 15 July 1956) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his breakthrough role as Daniel Blake in the 2016 Ken Loach film ''I, Daniel Blake''. Career Johns has appeared on ''Never Mind the ...

, Ian Coppinger,

Katherine Jakeways Katherine Jakeways is a British comedian, actor and writer. She has appeared in numerous television, radio and theatrical productions. Career Jakeways' television appearances include '' Extras'', ''Horrible Histories'', '' Sherlock'', ''Trace ...

and

Lizzie Roper Lizzie Roper (born 1967) is a British actress. Career Trained at the Guildford School of Acting after gaining a degree in drama from Aberystwyth University. Lizzie fell into Comedy whilst performing with Lenny Beige at The Regency Rooms as Sadi ...

. This production sold a capacity 850 seats a day at the Assembly Hall for the full run of the Festival. In 2006, Masterson directed comedian

Rich Hall Richard Travis Hall (born June 10, 1954) is an American comedian, writer, documentary maker and musician, first coming to prominence as a sketch comedian in the 1980s. He wrote and performed for a range of American networks, in series such as ...

's first stage play ''Levelland'' in which Hall played an irascible left-wing shock-jock. The show played at

Melbourne Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...

and

. Masterson also presented his solo ''

'' at Union Hall, Adelaide to great acclaim. In 2007, his production of ''Follow Me'

by Ross Gurney-Randall and Dave Mounfield, won a Herald Angel, an Argus Angel and another Stage Award Best Actress nomination for Beth Fitzgerald. In 2008, he directed Justin Butcher in his performance of his own ''Scaramouche Jones

which sold out its run at the Assembly Rooms and embarked on a national tour. He also produced and directed

Suzie Miller Suzie Miller is an Australian/British playwright, librettist and screenwriter. In April 2022, Miller made her West End debut with ''Prima Facie'' starring Jodie Comer. Overview Miller is a contemporary international playwright, librettist an ...

's first U.K. play, ''Reasonable Doubt'

also at the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh. In 2009, he produced and directed ''

'' by

Tim Whitnall Timothy Charles Whitnall (born 27 June 1961) is an English actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is known for playing Angelo in the long-running CITV series ''Mike and Angelo'' and narrating the BBC children's TV programme ''Teletubbies'' fro ...

which won a Scotsman Fringe First, a Stage Award nomination for Best Solo Performance, and went on to appear at the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

and open at the

Duchess Theatre The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 se ...

in London's West End where it was nominated for a What's on Stage Award for Best Play, ITC Award for Best Touring Production, two

Laurence Olivier Awards 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 as ...

for Best Entertainment (Winner) and Best Performance in a Musical or Entertainment. The show then toured over 250 performances around the United Kingdom. In 2011, Masterson remounted and performed his 1997 production of ''

'

directed by the author

. This won Masterson his 5th Stage Award nomination, this time for Best Solo Performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2014, Masterson directed an epic 40 actor production of his own adaptation of ''

'

with Tumanishvili Film Actors Theatre Company of Tbilisi (Georgia) which won The Stage Award 2014 for Best Ensemble at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He also compiled and performed a WW1 Commemorative show ''Anthem For A Doomed Youth'

which toured the UK around Remembrance Day and produced ''Bill Clinton Hercules'

a bio-play about

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

by Rachel Mariner. In 2015, Masterson collaborated with Hannah Ellis, granddaughter of

to produce ''Dylan Thomas - The Man, The Myth'
*
He also adapted and performed a cut down 65 minute version of ''

'' entitled ''Under Milk Wood - Semi Skimmed''. In 2016, Masterson collaborated with poet Clair Whitefield on ''Chopping Chillies'

He also wrote and performed his own stand-up comedy show, ''Love & Canine Integration'' (later retitled ''Barking Mad!'

which then toured to Australia. In 2017, Masterson collaborated with, produced & directed

Michael Brandon Michael Brandon (born Michael Feldman; April 20, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as James Dempsey in the British drama series ''Dempsey and Makepeace'' (1985–1986). His theatre credits include the original Broadway (theat ...

(

Dempsey & Makepeace ''Dempsey and Makepeace'' is a British television crime drama made by LWT for ITV, created and produced by Ranald Graham. Lead roles were played by Michael Brandon (Lieutenant Dempsey) and Glynis Barber (Detective Makepeace), who later married e ...

) at Edinburgh Fringe Festival to great acclaim. For the festival season he opened his 11th solo work,

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

'

adapted and directed by Nick Hennegan. In 2018, Masterson presented a WW1 Commemorative Season at the Adelaide Fringe Festival bannered Lest We Forget (phrase), Lest We Forget. At Edinburgh 2018, his 25th consecutive Fringe, Masterson presented a controversial new play purporting to reveal the truth behind the death of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

''The Marilyn Conspiracy'

co-written with Vicki McKellar, to critical acclaim. In 2019, Masterson collaborated with actor/writer Ian Shaw (actor), Ian Shaw - son of actor Robert Shaw - and writer Joseph Nixon, to present and direct ''The Shark Is Broken'' - a play about the making of ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

''. The show was the hit of the 2019

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

and was subsequently picked up by

Sonia Friedman Sonia Anne Primrose Friedman (born Freedman; born April 1965) is a British West End and Broadway theatre producer. On 27 January 2017, Friedman was named Producer of the Year for the third year running at The Stage Awards, becoming the first ...

Productions for a West End transfer in May 2020, but postponed due to the Covid Pandemic. In 2021, Masterson presented a truncated season of ''Under Milk Wood - Semi Skimmed'' at Assembly Festival, his 27th consecutive Edinburgh Fringe (excluding 2020). In October 2021, ''The Shark is Broken'

finally opened at the Ambassadors Theatre (London), Ambassadors Theatre, London to widespread critical acclaim.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Masterson, Guy 1961 births Living people People from Hampstead People educated at Christ's Hospital Alumni of Cardiff University English male stage actors English theatre directors English theatre managers and producers English people of Italian descent