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'', ''

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'' in 2003, '' The Odd Couple'' 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, and ''

The Shark Is Broken ''The Shark Is Broken'' is a comedic stage play written by British playwrights Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon. The play is a comedic exploration of the behind-the-scenes drama that took place during the filming of the 1975 film ''Jaws'', which was ...

'' in 2019 – which transferred to London's West End and won a

nomination for Best New Comedy. It opened on Broadway on August 10, 2023 for a 16 week run.

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 and where he served, among other celebrities,

O. J. Simpson Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "Juice", is an American former football running back, actor, and broadcaster who played for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Once a popular figure ...

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 ...

, Roberto Duran and André the Giant. 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, Tallulah Scholz-Mastroianni, was born in June 2005. The family resides in London. Photo credit: NUX Photography - www.nuxphotography.com

Professional life

In 1984, his great uncle, the actor Richard Burton, died and Masterson (then Mastroianni) was persuaded to attend an acting class in Hollywood. 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'' at the LA Theatre Center, directed by Alan Mandell for which he received his Equity Card. After performing in a number of plays in Los Angeles including ''The Elephant Man'' by Bernard Pomerance, ''The Yorkshire Tragedy'' - a disputed Shakespeare 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 he returned to London to study at LAMDA –

The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. LAMDA's Principal is ...

– 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 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'' with Robert Lindsay and Julian Glover. This played at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London's West End for nine months, during which Masterson committed '' Under Milk Wood'' 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 in Edinburgh in February 1994 and was such a critical success that he was invited to present the show at the Assembly Rooms ( Assembly Festival) in the 1994

. During this period, he also directed a one-man show about the life of his Great Uncle, actor Richard Burton - ''Playing Burton'' by Mark Jenkins starring the Welsh actor Josh Richards. Both '' Under Milk Wood'' and ''Playing Burton'' achieved great critical success and transferred to Riverside Studios London, and from there, both shows toured around the UK for several years. The success of Masterson's solo '' Under Milk Wood'' 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 premièred at the Traverse Theatre on Burns Night (25 January) 1995, and thence at the Assembly Rooms at the 1995

, where the entire run sold out prior to opening. 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 his first international work, a Kiwi production ''The Ballad of Jimmy Costello'' with Tim Balmebr>
at the

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 globe, and over 29 consecutive festivals he, through his company, Theatre Tours Internationa

has presented over 150 more shows, mostly at the Assembly Rooms, but also at The Pleasance and the Traverse Theatre. 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. In 1999, after a major tour to New Zealand with ''Animal Farm'', ''Under Milk Wood'' and ''A Soldier's Song'' 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 Scotsman Fringe First Award and a Stage Best Actor nomination for Rajan at the Edinburgh Fringe. Linda Marlowe also received a Stage Best Actress Award Nomination for ''Berkoff's Women'', and Masterson 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 went on to become 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, to the

where his production of ''Americana Absurdum'' by

Brian Parks Brian Parks (born c. 1962) is an American playwright, journalist and editor. He is a former Arts & Culture editor of ''The Village Voice'' and former chairman of its Obie Awards. As a playwright, Parks has produced works that are noted for t ...

won a Scotsman Fringe First Award, as did Masterson's co-production of New Zealand writer Toa Fraser's ''Number Two''. Stage Award nominations for Best Actress were also received by Madeleine Sami (for ''Number Two'') and Jules Leyser for ''All Words For Sex'' which Masterson directed. This subsequently played at London's Soho Theatre. 2001 saw Masterson present 8 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe including a new solo performance of a compilation of

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

for which he 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; ''Goner'' by

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 Theater Oobleck is a theater troupe in Chicago. It began in the 1980s in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as Streetlight Theater. Theater Oobleck was co-founded by Terri Kapsalis, Dave Buchen, Jeff Dorchen, Mickle Maher, and Greg Kotis. The name "Oobleck" cam ...

and the Neo-Futurists. This programme of work won two Scotsman Fringe First Awards 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 'The Stage Award Best Actress' nomination for Nancy Walsh-Clancy for ''Cincinnati''. 2003 saw Masterson create the first of the three biggest theatre successes at the Edinburgh Fringe. '' 12 Angry Men'' by Reginald Rose - 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 as Juror 10, Owen O'Neill 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 ...

as Juror 9 during the

which broke the existing box office record for Theatre 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 '' Under Milk Wood'' now with music added by composer Matt Clifford a multi-year collaborator with The Rolling Stones. In 2004, Masterson originated a production of Dale Wasserman's '' One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (play)'' starring Christian Slater and Mackenzie Crook 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 taking over from Slater. Masterson's acclaimed production of '' 12 Angry Men'' 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 and New Zealand Festival of the 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 including Shane Bourne as Juror 3, Peter Phelps as Juror 4, Marcus Graham as Juror 8, George Kapiniaris as Juror 2 and Henri Szeps as Juror 9. This production won three 2005 Melbourne Green Room Awards 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

, '' The Odd Couple'' by Neil Simon starring comedians

, Alan Davies, Phil Nichol, Owen O'Neill, Dave Johns, Ian Coppinger, Katherine Jakeways and Lizzie Roper. 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 '' Under Milk Wood'' 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's first U.K. play, ''Reasonable Doubt'

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

'' by Tim Whitnall 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 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 2012 Masterson was invited to direct and play the role of Oscar in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple at the Theatre At The Mill (also featuring the actor/comedian Dave Johns. This production played at the Hawthorne Theatre in Welwyn Garden City the following summer of 2013. Guy also directed Samsung's global product launch show, ''Samsung Unpacked'' in 2012 and 2013. 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/directed ''Bill Clinton Hercules'

a bio-play about Bill Clinton by Rachel Mariner starring Bob Paisley. 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 '' Under Milk Wood'' entitled ''Under Milk Wood - Semi Skimmed''. In 2016, Masterson directed the 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 wrote, produced & directed Michael Brandon (

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 ...

) in ''Off Ramps'' at Edinburgh Fringe Festival to great acclaim. For the festive season he premièred his 11th solo work, Charles Dickens' ''

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 EdFringe), Masterson also presented a controversial new play purporting to reveal the truth behind the death of Marilyn Monroe ''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 ''

'' - a play about the making of '' Jaws''. The show was the hit of the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe and was subsequently picked up by Sonia Friedman 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 EdFringe excluding 2020). In October ''The Shark is Broken'

finally opened at the Ambassadors Theatre (London), Ambassadors Theatre, London to widespread critical acclaim and played until February 2022 garnering a

nomination for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play. In 2022, Masterson directed ''9 Circles'' a
Park Theatre (London)
and Assembly Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to strong acclaim. ''The Shark Is Broken'' opened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto for 7 weeks. Masterson then completed his 5th tour of ''

''. Early 2023, Masterson directed Peter Tate in ''Picasso: Le Monstre Sacré'

by Terry D'Alfonso at The Playground Theatre, London. He then co-Directed ''The Marvellous Elephant Man - The Musical'' with Christopher H F Mitchell for the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Fringe Festival to several awards and widespread acclaim. ''The Shark Is Broken'' finally opened on Broadway at The

Golden Theatre The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was d ...

on August 10, 2023 where it played for 18 weeks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Masterson, Guy 1961 births Living people Actors from the London Borough of Camden 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 Male actors from London