Steven Dexter (born August 26, 1962) is a theatre director and writer.

Early life

Dexter was born in South Africa, then he moved to London in 1984 and studied at 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 ...

West End productions

In 2003 he directed both ''Peter Pan'' and ''The Pirates of Penzance'', playing in repertoire at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...

, London. His production of '' La Cava'' (book by

Dana Broccoli Dana Broccoli ( Natol; January 3, 1922 – February 29, 2004) was an American actress. Biography Dana Natol was born January 3, 1922, in New York City to an Irish Italian family. She studied acting at the Cecil Clovelly's Academy of Dramatic A ...

, lyrics by John Claflin and

Shaun McKenna Shaun Patrick McKenna (born 5 April 1957 in Maidstone, Kent) is an English dramatist, lyricist and screenwriter. Biography Shaun McKenna studied at Maidstone Grammar School and the University of Bristol (1975–1978). He was an actor for a fe ...

, music by Laurence O'Keefe and

Stephen Keeling Stephen Keeling is a British composer and musician who works predominantly in musical theatre. Biographical details Born in 1966 in Staffordshire, England, he trained at Goldsmiths College, University of London, gaining an honours degree in mus ...

) transferred from the

Churchill Theatre The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, southeast London was built by the London Borough of Bromley to designs by its borough architect's department. The Churchill is an example of a repertory theatre built in the style of European opera houses, wit ...

, Bromley to the

Victoria Palace Theatre The Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station. The structure is categorised as a Grade II* listed building. History Origins The theatre began life as a small conc ...

, London, in 2000, transferring to the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...

in 2001. In October 2012 his production of

Loserville ''Loserville'' is a musical with music and lyrics by James Bourne and Elliot Davis, originally created for Youth Music Theatre UK. The story is based on an album, ''Welcome to Loserville'' from Bourne's second band, Son of Dork. ''Loserville'' ...

transferred to the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...

, London, in a co-production between Kevin Wallace Productions,

West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds Playhouse is a theatre in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire. Having originally opened in 1970 in a different location in Leeds, it reopened as West Yorkshire Playhouse, on Quarry Hill, in March 1990. After a refurbishment in 2018-20 ...

, TC Beech and

Youth Music Theatre UK British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), formerly Youth Music Theatre UK, is a UK-based national performing arts organisation founded in December 2003. BYMT provides music theatre training to young people aged 11–21 and a stepping stone to drama ...

(now

British Youth Music Theatre British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), formerly Youth Music Theatre UK, is a UK-based national performing arts organisation founded in December 2003. BYMT provides music theatre training to young people aged 11–21 and a stepping stone to drama ...

). As a book writer, he co-wrote ''Maddie'', (with

, music by

), produced by Kenny Wax Productions, which transferred to the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue in 1997 and he directed ''Romance! Romance!'', which transferred to the

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague an ...

, London, in the same year.

Other productions

He directed the world premiere and 2007 revival of the Olivier Award winning musical ''

Honk! ''Honk!'' is a musical adaptation of the 1843 Hans Christian Andersen story ''The Ugly Duckling'', incorporating a message of tolerance. The book and lyrics are by Anthony Drewe and music is by George Stiles (of the British songwriting duo S ...

'' at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury. In Derby he directed the world premiere of '' The Pros, The Cons and a Screw'' in 2009. Also in 2009, he directed the world premiere of a new musical, '' Loserville: The Musical'' for

, written by

James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop punk bands Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project: Future Boy. From 2013 to 2015 ...

and Elliot Davis. Dexter worked extensively for the

Habima Theatre The Habima Theatre ( he, תיאטרון הבימה ''Te'atron HaBima'', lit. "The Stage Theatre") is the List of national theatres, national theatre of Israel and one of the first Hebrew language theatres. It is located in Habima Square in the ce ...

, the Israeli National Theatre, directing ''Honk!'' (2000), ''Mary-Lou'' (2002), ''The Full Monty'' (2003), ''Shirley Valentine'' (2005) and ''High School Musical'' (2008). In Singapore he directed '' Forbidden City: Portrait of An Empress'' (2002) (a collaboration with Stephen Clark and Dick Lee) and ''

Fried Rice Paradise Fried may refer to: Music * ''Fried'' (album), a 1984 album by Julian Cope *Fried (band), a band made up of U.S. soul singer Jonte Short and ex-The Beat and Fine Young Cannibals guitarist David Steele *"Fried", a song by E-40 from his 2011 album, ...

'' (2010).

2019

* ROMANCE, ROMANCE, Above The Stag Theatre, London * FANNY AND STELLA, Above The Stag Theatre, London * PAPERBOY,

Lyric Theatre, Belfast The Lyric Theatre, or simply The Lyric, is the principal, full-time producing theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The theatre's current Executive Producer is Jimmy Fay, previously the founder and Artistic Director of Bedrock Productions. His ...

BYMT * CLOSER TO HEAVEN, Above The Stag Theatre, London

2018

* PIPPIN, Tring Park School for the Performing Arts * BEAUTIFUL THING, Above The Stag Theatre, London. * PAPERBOY,

. * RUPERT STREET, Above The Stag Theatre, London * GRUMPY OLD MEN, Theatrical Rights Worldwide

2017

* HOSPITAL THE MUSICAL, Israel Workshop * WHEN HARRY MET BARRY, Above The Stag Theatre, London * FORBIDDEN CITY,

Singapore Repertory Theatre Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) is a non-profit professional theatre company founded in 1993. It is located at the KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT at 20 Merbau Road, Singapore. The current artistic director is Gaurav Kripalani while its manag ...

, Esplanade Theatre Singapore * MU-LAN, Singapore Workshop * ON THE TOWN,

Mountview Mountview is a property in Brentwood, Tennessee that was built in 1860 and that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It has also been known as the Davis-Rozelle Residence. It includes Greek Revival, Italianate, "Tr ...

2016

* MARY LOU, Israel * MU-LAN, Workshop London * JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS,

London School of Musical Theatre London School of Musical Theatre (LSMT) is a training academy of performing arts, that was founded by Glenn Lee in 1995. The school is located on Borough Road, central London. It was originally housed at The Old Vic and then Her Majesty's Theat ...

Bridewell Theatre Bridewell Theatre is a small theatre based in Blackfriars in London. It is operated as part of the St Bride Foundation Institute, named after nearby St Bride's Church on Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of Lon ...

* THE SINS OF JACK SAUL, Above The Stag Theatre, London. * PASSPORT TO PIMLICO, London Workshop * WHAT I GO TO SCHOOL FOR,

, Theatre Royal Brighton * SAVING JASON, Park Theatre, London

2015

* ON THE TOWN,

Guildford School of Acting Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an academic school in the University of Surrey. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools The Federation of Drama Schools functions to facilitate ...

* THE BOY NEXT-DOOR, Workshop * FANNY AND STELLA, Above The Stag Theatre, London * THE LKY MUSICAL,

* FAGIN,

, South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell * INTO THE WOODS,

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama , image_name = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.jpg , image_size = , motto = , established = 1949 , type = Public , staff = , vice_chancellor = , students = 779 (2017/18) , undergrad ...

, Cardiff

2014

* CHESS,

, Union Theatre * THE OTHER SCHOOL,

* FANNY AND STELLA, Above The Stag Theatre, Workshop * LKY,

, Workshop * THE BOY NEXT DOOR, Workshop * ALTAR BOYZ, Paul Taylor Mills Productions, Greenwich Theatre * THE ADDAMS FAMILY,

External links

*http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2007/dec/03/theatre *https://web.archive.org/web/20110616043951/http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=209&name=Steven+Dexter

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Steven 1962 births Living people South African dramatists and playwrights South African theatre directors Writers from Cape Town