Timothy Sheader
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Timothy Sheader (born 23 November 1971 in
Scarborough, North Yorkshire Scarborough () is a seaside town in the Borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Scarborough is located on the North Sea coastline. Historic counties of England, Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town lies between 10 ...
) is a British theatre director. Sheader read Law with French at the University of Birmingham before moving into a career in theatre. Since 2007, he has been Artistic Director at
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary†...
.


Theatrical career

Sheader started his theatrical career as a Trainee Director at the
Orange Tree Theatre The Orange Tree Theatre is a 180-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south-west London, which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style. Th ...
in Richmond before becoming an Assistant Director with the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
for two years. Subsequent to his previous directorial work at
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary†...
in 2005, he was appointed Artistic Director for the venue in November 2007, being responsible for productions from the 2008 season. Under Sheader’s tenure, over the last 10 years, Open Air Theatre productions have won seven Olivier Awards, three Evening Standard Awards and six WhatsOnStage Awards. In 2008, ''A Midsummer Night’s Dream re-imagined for everyone aged six and over'' was the first of many successful Shakespeare plays specially adapted for younger audiences. And in 2009, ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' was introduced as the first non-Shakespeare play to be produced at the theatre for several years. His directorial successes at Regent’s Park include: ''Hello, Dolly!'' (2009) which won three Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival, ''Into the Woods'' (2010) which transferred to New York, ''Crazy For You'' (2011) which was a double Olivier Award-winner and transferred to the West End, ''To Kill a Mockingbird''(2013/14) which went on tour in the UK, ending at the Barbican in mid-2015, and ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (2016) the sell-out production that won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and Evening Standard Award for Best Musical – the production returned to the Open Air Theatre for an extended engagement in 2017 ahead of a run at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Spring 2018. The production played a season at the Barbican Theatre in 2019, ahead of a North American Tour, and in the summer of 2020 it was reconceived as ''Jesus Christ Superstar: The Concert'', the first West End production to re-open during the coronavirus pandemic.


As Director for Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

''* Prior to his appointment as Artistic Director in 2007''.


Other Notable Work

In 2013 Sheader worked with the
Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya John Hidalgo Moya (5 May 1920 – 3 August 1994), ...
to direct a new production of ''
Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He wa ...
'', starring Christopher Fitzgerald. The previous year he directed '' The Magistrate'' at London's National Theatre starring
John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...
. At the beginning of 2015 he directed ''
My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...
'' at the
Aarhus Teater The Aarhus Theatre (Danish: ''Aarhus Teater'') in Aarhus, is the largest provincial theatre in Denmark. The present theatre house was constructed in the late 19th century, as a replacement for the old theatre, nicknamed "''Svedekassen''" (The Sw ...
in Denmark. Other productions that Sheader has directed include ''
Imagine This ''Imagine This'' is a musical with music by Shuki Levy, lyrics by David Goldsmith and a book by Glenn Berenbeim. Set in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, it focuses on a family of actors trying to stage a play about the siege at ancient Mas ...
'' (New London); ''Hobson's Choice'', ''
The Clandestine Marriage ''The Clandestine Marriage'' is a comedy by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick, first performed in 1766 at Drury Lane. It is both a comedy of manners and a comedy of errors. The idea came from a series of pictures by William Hogarth entit ...
'', ''
Love in a Maze ''The Changes, or Love in a Maze'' is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy of manners written by James Shirley, first published in 1639. It was one of Shirley's most popular comedies, especially in the Restoration era. The play (which involves a ...
'' (Watermill Theatre); Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'', ''
The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...
'' (Bristol Old Vic); ''The Star Throwers'', ''Unless'' (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough); ''Misconceptions'' (Derby Playhouse); ''Streetcar to Tennessee'' (Young Vic); ''Achilles'' (Edinburgh Fringe First); ''Wild, Wild Women'' (Orange Tree); ''
Arms and the Man ''Arms and the Man'' is a comedy by George Bernard Shaw, whose title comes from the opening words of Virgil's ''Aeneid'', in Latin: ''Arma virumque cano'' ("Of arms and the man I sing"). The play was first produced on 21 April 1894 at the Aven ...
'' (National Tour) Piaf, ''
Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on ...
'' (Sheffield Crucible). 2018 also saw Sheader's ''
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 ...
'' play at Chicago's Lyric Opera. In 2019, Sheader made his Royal Opera House debut, directing the World Premiere of The Monstrous Child at the
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheader, Timothy Living people English theatre directors People from Scarborough, North Yorkshire 1971 births