James David Sharman (born 12 March 1945) is an Australian director and writer for film and stage with more than 70 productions to his credit. He is renowned in Australia for his work as a theatre director from the 1960s to the present, and is best known internationally as the director of the 1973 theatrical hit ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple ...

'', its film adaptation ''

The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also ...

'' (1975) and the film's follow-up, ''

Shock Treatment ''Shock Treatment'' is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. While not an outright sequel, the film doe ...

'' (1981).

Life and career

Sharman was born in Sydney, the son of boxing tent impresario and rugby league player James Michael "Jimmy" Sharman Jr. (1912–2006) and Christina McAndleish Sharman ( Mirchell; 1914–2003). He was educated in Sydney, though his upbringing included time spent on Australian showgrounds, where his father ran a travelling sideshow of popular legend, founded by his own father, called "Jimmy Sharman's Boxing Troupe". This brought him into contact with the world of circus and travelling vaudeville. Developing an interest in theatre, he graduated from the production course at the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

(NIDA) in Sydney in 1966. Sharman created a series of productions of

experimental theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Richard Wagner, Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu Roi, Ubu plays as a rejection of bot ...

, many for the

Old Tote Theatre Company The Old Tote Theatre Company (1963–1978) was a New South Wales theatre company that began as the standing acting and theatre company of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). It was the predecessor to the Sydney Theatre Company. ...

, culminating in a controversial staging of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'' for

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of ...

when he was 21 years old. Over the following decade, he directed three

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 concept ...

s: ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'' in 1969 (Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

) (he also designed the original Sydney production); ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'' in 1972 (Australia and Palace Theatre, London) and created the original production of ''

'' with

Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...

in 1973 (Royal Court Theatre, London – subsequently in Sydney, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York City). He co-wrote the screenplay and directed the international cult hit film ''

'' (1975) for

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

and directed its loosely based sequel, ''Shock Treatment'', in 1981. In 1985, he directed third year students at (NIDA) in a production of ''

A Dream Play ''A Dream Play'' ( sv, Ett drömspel) is a fantasy play in 14 scenes written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was published in Swedish in 1902 and first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg' ...

''. In the following decades, Sharman directed a series of new works and Australian premieres, including a series of productions of plays by

Patrick White Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was a British-born Australian writer who published 12 novels, three short-story collections, and eight plays, from 1935 to 1987. White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, ...

in the late 1970s – ''

The Season at Sarsaparilla ''The Season at Sarsaparilla: a charade of suburbia in 2 acts'' is a 1962 play by Australian writer Patrick White. It concerns three households, the Pogsons, the Boyles, and the Knotts, in the fictional suburb of Sarsaparilla. This play was wri ...

'', ''

Big Toys ''Big Toys'' is a 1977 Australian play by Patrick White. It was his first play in 14 years. Stage productions The original production was by the Old Tote Theatre Company in Sydney. The cast was Max Cullen, Arthur Dignam and Kate Fitzpatrick and ...

'', ''Netherwood'' and ''

A Cheery Soul ''A Cheery Soul'' is a 1963 play by Australian writer Patrick White set in the fictional Sydney suburb of Sarsaparilla at the end of the 1950s. White described it as being about "the destructive power of good." Productions ''A Cheery Soul'' ...

'' – which are credited with reviving the Nobel Laureate's career as a dramatist. He also directed the film ''

The Night the Prowler ''The Night the Prowler'' (also known as ''Patrick White's The Night the Prowler'') is a 1978 Australian film written by Patrick White, produced by Anthony Buckley and directed by Jim Sharman. Ruth Cracknell was nominated in 1979 for an AFI A ...

'', from a screenplay adapted by White from one of his short stories, and notable as White's only produced film screenplay. One of Sharman's most frequent creative collaborators was production designer Brian Thomson, a partnership that began at the Old Tote and continued through their ground-breaking and widely praised stage productions, the rock musicals ''

'', ''

'' and ''

'', and the films '' Shirley Thompson vs. the Aliens'', ''

'' and ''

''. Sharman was artistic director of the

Adelaide Festival of Arts 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 ...

in 1982 and, while in South Australia, he created

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

, a theatre company which specialised in radical stagings of classics and premieres of new work by major Australian dramatists, including

Louis Nowra Mark Doyle, better known by his stage name Louis Nowra, (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights. His works have been performed by all o ...

, Stephen Sewell and Patrick White. The ensemble included many major Australian artists, including actors

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy ...

Gillian Jones Gillian Jones (born 19 April 1947) is an Australian actress from Newcastle, New South Wales who is best known for appearances in ''Twelfth Night'', ''Oscar and Lucinda'', ''Last Train to Freo'' and the role of Di Paige in the television series ...

, John Wood and

Kerry Walker Kerry Ann Walker is an Australian actress. She has had a lengthy career on both stage and screen. She was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role three times, in 1985 for ''Bliss'', 1986 for ''Twelfth Night'' and in 1 ...

and associate director

Neil Armfield Neil Geoffrey Armfield (born 22 April 1955) is an Australian director of theatre, film and opera. Biography Born in Sydney, Armfield is the third and youngest son of Len, a factory worker at the nearby Arnott's Biscuits factory and Nita Armf ...

, who would further develop this adventurous tradition at Sydney's

Belvoir Street Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat D ...

. Continuing as a freelance director, Sharman directed Stephen Sewell's ''

Three Furies The Erinyes ( ; sing. Erinys ; grc, Ἐρινύες, pl. of ), also known as the Furies, and the Eumenides, were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes ...

'' – scenes from the life of

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

, for which he won a

Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play The Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play is a theatre award, presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA) at the annual Helpmann Awards since 2001. In the following list winners are listed first and marked in gold, in boldface, and the no ...

. It played at the 2005 Sydney and Auckland festivals and the 2006 Perth and Adelaide festivals. In 2006, he revived his landmark staging of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

's ''

Death in Venice ''Death in Venice ''(German: ''Der Tod in Venedig'') is a novella by German author Thomas Mann, published in 1912. It presents an ennobled writer who visits Venice and is liberated, uplifted, and then increasingly obsessed by the sight of a Poli ...

'' for Opera Australia. In 2009, he directed a new production of Mozart's ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

'' for Opera Australia, a collaboration with the Berlin-based Australian conductor Simon Hewett. In August 2008, Sharman's memoirs '' Blood and Tinsel'' were published by

Melbourne University Publishing Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne. History MUP was founded in 1922 as Melbourne University Press to sell text books and stationery to students, and soon began publishing books itself. ...

in which he talks about his childhood on the road with Jimmy Sharman's Boxing Troupe and also speaks out for the first time about ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' and his many productions. Sharman is a resident of Egerton Crescent,

Kensington, London Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Gar ...

Select credits

Theatre

*''Still Life'' (1964) – The Old Tote Theatre, Kensington, NSW *''The Sport of My Mad Mother'' (1964) The Old Tote Theatre, Kensington, NSW *''Inadmissable Evidence'' (1964) – The Old Tote Theatre, Kensington, NSW *''

Entertaining Mr Sloane ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' is a three-act play written in 1963 by the English playwright Joe Orton. It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964. Plo ...

'' (1965) – The Old Tote Theatre, Kensington, NSW *''The Lover'' (1966) – AMP Theatrette, Circular Quay, NSW *''The Gents'' (1966) – AMP Theatrette, Circular Quay, NSW *''Operatic Concerto'' (1966) – New South Wales *''Chips With Everything'' (1966) – Independent Theatre, North Sydney, NSW *''

A Taste of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...

'' (1967) *''And So To Bed, Playhouse Theatre'' (1967) – Perth, WA *''Don Giovanni'' (1967) – national tour *''The Flower Children, A Little Bourke Street Discotheque'' (1967) – Melbourne *'' The Birthday Party'' (1967) – St Martins Theatre, South Yarra, VIC *''You Never Can Tell'' (1968) – The Old Tote Theatre *''Terror Australis'' (1968) – Jane Street Theatre *'' Norm and Ahmed'' by Alex Buzo (1968) – Old Tote Theatre *''Hair'' (1969) – Metro Theatre, Sydney – later national tour (1971–73) and productions in New Zealand (1972), Tokyo, Boston *''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' (1971) – Parade Theatre, Kensington *''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' (1971) – Russell St Theatre, Melbourne *'' Lasseter'' (1971) – Parade Theatre, Kensington 1971 *''

'' (1972–73) – national tour of Australia= – also did productions in London (1972) *''The Unseen Hand'' by Sam Shepherd – London *''

The Removalists ''The Removalists'' is a play written by Australian playwright David Williamson in 1971. The main issues the play addresses are violence, specifically domestic violence, and the abuse of power and authority. The story is supposed to be a microc ...

'' (1973) – Royal Court Theatre, London *''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, ''The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with music ...

'' (1973) – Drama Theatre, Sydney *''

'' (1973) – London – also directed productions in Los Angeles and Sydney (1974), Melbourne (1975) *''

'' by Patrick White (1975) – Drama Theatre, Sydney *''

'' by Patrick White (1977) – Parade Theatre, Kensington *''Pandora's Cross'' (1978) –

Paris Theatre, Sydney The Paris Theatre was a cinema and theatre located on the corner of Wentworth Avenue and Liverpool Street in Sydney that showed films and vaudeville, cabaret and plays. The theatre changed names several times, trading as Australia Picture Palace ...

*''

'' by Patrick White (1979) *''

'' (1980) – Festival Theatre, Adelaide *''Lulu'' (1981) – Sydney & Adelaide *''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' (1982) – The Playhouse, Adelaide, SA *''Silver Lining'' (1982) – The Lighthouse, Adelaide, SA *''Royal Show'' (1982) – The Playhouse, Adelaide, SA, *''

Blood Wedding ''Blood Wedding'' ( es, link=no, Bodas de sangre) is a tragedy by Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. It was written in 1932 and first performed at Teatro Beatriz in Madrid in March 1933, then later that year in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...

'' (1983) – The Lighthouse, Adelaide, SA *''Netherwood'' (1983) – The Playhouse, Adelaide, SA *''Pal Joey'' (1983) – The Lighthouse, Adelaide, SA *''Sunrise'' (1983) – The Playhouse, Adelaide, SA *''Dreamplay'' (1985) – Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW *''

Voss Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, Opphe ...

'' (1986–87) – national tour *''Blood Relations'' – Drama Theatre, Sydney, NSW *''A Lie of the Mind'' (1987) – Belvoir Street Theatre, Surry Hills, NSW *''Blood Relations'' (1987) – The Playhouse, Adelaide, SA *''The Screens'' (1988) – NIDA Theatre, Kensington, NSW *''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings ''A Rake's Progres ...

'' (1988) – Opera Theatre, Sydney, NSW *''The Conquest of the South Pole'' (1989) – Belvoir Street Theatre, Surry Hills, NSW *''Death in Venice'' (1989) – Opera Theatre, Sydney, NSW *''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

'' (1990) – Theatre Royal, Sydney, NSW *''Voss'' (1990) – Opera Theatre, Sydney *''Death in Venice'' (1991) – State Theatre, Melbourne *''Shadow and Splendour'' (1992) – national tour *''The Wedding Song'' (1994) – Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW *''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

'' (1995) – The Playhouse, Adelaide *'' The Tempest'' (1997) – national tour through Australia *''

Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill ''Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill'' is a musical revue with a book by Gene Lerner, music by Kurt Weill, and lyrics by various songwriting partners Weill worked with over his career. The plot follows Weill's life as he begins his career in Germa ...

'' (2000) -NIDA Studio, Kensington, NSW *''Language of the Gods'' (2001) – NIDA Theatre, Sydney *'' What the Butler Saw'' (2004) – Belvoir St Sydney *''Death in Venice'' (2005) – Opera Theatre Sydney *''Three Furies: Scenes from the Life of Francis Bacon'' (2006) – Playhouse Theatre Perth *Mozart's ''

'' - Opera House Theatre, Sydney (2009)

Films

*''Arcade'' (1970) – 5-minute short *''Roll up'' (1971) – unfinished documentary *'' Shirley Thompson vs. the Aliens'' (1972) *''

'' (1975) *'' Summer of Secrets'' (1976) *''

'' (1978) *''

'' (1981)

Awards and nominations

Helpmann Awards

The

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 ...

is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' (LPA) since 2001. In 2018, Sharman received the

JC Williamson Award The JC Williamson Award (formally known as the James Cassius Williamson Award), is an lifetime achievement award presented annually as a sector of the Helpmann Awards, governed by Live Performance Australia. The awards are named after the Ameri ...

, the LPA's highest honour, for their life's work in live performance. , - ,

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, , ''Three Furies'' , , Best Direction of a Play , , , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, , Himself , ,

, , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharman, Jim 1945 births Australian film directors Australian theatre directors Helpmann Award winners Living people Writers from Sydney Horror film directors