Marc Sinden

Marc Sinden
Born	Marcus Andrew Sinden 9 May 1954 (1954-05-09) London, England
Residence	Hampstead Garden Suburb
Nationality	English
Education	Edgeborough Stanbridge Earls Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Occupation	Producer, Director, Actor
Net worth	£1.8 million (estimated)
Spouse	Jo Gilbert (1977–1997)
Children	Hal Sinden (b 1980) Bridie Sinden (b 1990)
Website
Marc Sinden Productions

Marc Sinden (born 9 May 1954) is an English theatre producer, documentary director and actor. His father is the actor Sir Donald Sinden.

As producer

Theatre

His decision to change from being an actor to a producer coincided with being offered the position in 1993 of artistic director at Bernard Miles' famous Mermaid Theatre in Blackfriars, London where he created the Bernard Miles Studio, but left after a year.

He then formed his own theatrical production company, presenting in 1996 the premiere of N.J. Crisp's That Good Night on a critically acclaimed national tour starring Sir Donald Sinden, Patrick Ryecart and Nigel Davenport and directing his first commercial tour, Edward Hall.

During this period he also produced a highly successful series of audio tapes (re-released as CDs in 2010) including The Ballad of Reading Gaol read by Sir Donald Sinden and The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde, with readings by Dame Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons, Sir Derek Jacobi, Joanna Lumley, Geoffrey Palmer and Elaine Stritch.

In 1997 Sinden was appointed associate producer for Bill Kenwright Ltd. As associate producer his West End credits are Lady Windermere's Fan (Haymarket); An Ideal Husband (Haymarket and Gielgud) and Pygmalion (Albery), which he cast and co-directed. Marc was responsible for the output of the Theatre Royal, Windsor, casting and producing such shows and subsequent tours as Catch Me If You Can; Canaries Sometimes Sing; My Fat Friend; Dangerous To Know; Huckleberry Finn; Aladdin; Pygmalion (tour); Lady Windermere's Fan (a co-production tour with the Royal Exchange, Manchester); Noël and Gertie; Passion (in concert at the Golders Green Hippodrome for CD recording); Fallen Angels; The Woman in Black; Move Over Mrs Markham and Time's Up.

As associate producer he liaised between Bill Kenwright Ltd. and the Peter Hall Company for which he cast and was associate producer on the tour of Just The Three Of Us by Simon Gray and helped organise the Australian co-production tour of An Ideal Husband.

In 1998 he resumed his independent career as Marc Sinden Productions and produced and co-directed Shakespeare's Villains with Steven Berkoff (Haymarket), which was nominated for a Society Of London Theatre Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.

Poster for the British Theatre Season, Monaco

He also produced the 25th anniversary revival of East, directed by the plays author Steven Berkoff, winning the Stage Award for Best Ensemble work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, (Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh; Le Théâtre Silvia Monfort, Paris & Vaudeville) and produced the best-selling DVD of the production. Other productions include The Glee Club (Duchess) following its transfer from the Bush Theatre; Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners, which he directed and also co-wrote with Carry On... writer Norman Hudis which is still touring; Asking For Trouble with Sheridan Morley; Sex Wars with Louise Jameson and Straker Sings Brel directed by Mel Smith.

HSH Prince Albert of Monaco & Sinden, Monte Carlo Oct '07

In 2003 he established The One Night Booking Company, which presents celebrity-led anthologies and recitals nationally and internationally on 'One Night Stands' and includes the successful An Evening with... series, showcasing famous actors and comedians, such as Terence Stamp, Julian Clary etc.

In 2005 he created UK Theatre Availability.co.uk a website specifically for Theatre Managers and Theatre Producers use only.

In 2007 he created the British Theatre Season, Monaco bringing star-led theatrical shows to the Théâtre Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo. On 17 October 2007, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco awarded the British Theatre Season his High Patronage.

His next production is to be Jeffrey Archer's Prison Diaries by FF8282, the theatrical adaptation of all three of the best-selling diaries chronicling Lord Archer's time in jail.

As director

Documentary

Charles Spencer, the drama critic for the Daily Telegraph, reported that Sinden is currently producing and directing a documentary series called Great West End Theatres, which will describe the history and stories associated with each of the 40 London theatres. Presented by Sir Donald Sinden, they will be released individually as DVDs and digital downloads.

As actor

Theatre

Sinden's acting work in the theatre is extensive with over 40 regional tours or West End productions to his credit, including 'Charles Surface' in The School for Scandal (Duke of York's) with his father Sir Donald Sinden. This was chosen as the British Council's 50th anniversary tour, playing in 21 cities in 10 countries. He also starred in Two Into One (Shaftesbury) and Her Royal Highness (Palace), both written and directed by Ray Cooney; ‘Squire Sullen’ in The Beaux' Stratagem (Lyttelton, Royal National Theatre) opposite Brenda Blethyn; Over My Dead Body (Savoy) with June Whitfield; Underground with Raymond Burr (Prince of Wales and Royal Alexandra, Toronto); Ross with Simon Ward (Old Vic and Royal Alexandra, Toronto); Ray Davies' first musical Chorus Girls (Theatre Royal, Stratford East) and the première of Alan Bennett's Enjoy (Vaudeville) with Joan Plowright.

A season at the Chichester Festival Theatre included ‘Stephen Undershaft’ in George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara with Sir Donald Sinden, directed by Christopher Morahan and as Assistant director, Sam Mendes; at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, ‘Broadbent’ in Shaw's rarely seen John Bull's Other Island with Cyril Cusack, directed by Joe Dowling; 'Cassius' in a well-received tour of Julius Caesar with the New Shakespeare Company, directed by David Conville and a very long national tour of Noël Coward's Private Lives with Gemma Craven.

Television

Roles in Judge John Deed; the series Island set on Jersey, The Politician's Wife with Trevor Eve and Juliet Stevenson. He also had roles in the BBC children's TV drama series' Century Falls and Country Boy; Against All Odds with Roy Marsden; Inspector Stokesay in Magnum, P.I. with Tom Selleck; Never the Twain; Bergerac; Home Front by Peter Tinniswood; Rumpole of the Bailey with Leo McKern; Emmerdale; If You Go Down in the Woods Today with Eric Sykes; a character in the original series of Crossroads; an episode of Dick Turpin with Richard O'Sullivan; All at No 20 with Maureen Lipman and Wolf to the Slaughter, the first of the Ruth Rendell/Inspector Wexford TV adaptations.

Film and DVD

He appeared as 'Surveyor White' in the film version of Spike Milligan's novel Puckoon with Richard Attenborough filmed in Belfast; 'Senior Allied Officer White' in the comedy The Brylcreem Boys with Gabriel Byrne, Billy Campbell and Jean Butler filmed in the Isle of Man; 'Captain Dawson' in al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra with Oliver Reed, filmed in Iraq by cinematographer Jack Hildyard; the French film Mangeuses d'Hommes filmed in Sierra Leone; Decadence with Steven Berkoff and Joan Collins filmed in Luxembourg; the Italian film Piccolo Grande Amore with Susannah York and David Warner filmed in Austria; 'Lord Dolman' in Michael Winner's The Wicked Lady with Faye Dunaway, Alan Bates and Sir John Gielgud with cinematography by Jack Cardiff; White Nights with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini (which was the Royal Film Performance of 1986); 'Captain Perez' in Carry On Columbus directed by Gerald Thomas, filmed by Alan Hume and produced by Sinden's godfather Peter Rogers and was 'Mr. Honeythunder' in Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood with Robert Powell.

The journalist James Montague revealed and published in the September 2011 issue of the magazine Delayed Gratification, that during the filming of Al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra in 1983, Sinden was arrested by the Iraqi Intelligence Service (Jihaz Al-Mukhabarat Al-A'ma, also known as the "Mukhabarat") for taking photographs during a break in filming of proscribed objects, buildings and specific areas at the request of MI6, (the British Secret Intelligence Service), made prior to his departure for Baghdad. He was held for two days at the interrogation centre (Al Haakimiya), where he "wasn't tortured, but the threat of torture was enough. It was nasty" before he was released on the express instruction of the films producer, Saddam Hussain, whom he had met at a supper the week before.

In 1968 he and his brother Jeremy were part of the "Na-Na" chorus on Hey Jude by the Beatles, filmed at Twickenham Film Studios.

Personal life

Marc Sinden is divorced from his film producer wife Jo and has two children from that marriage: Hal Sinden (born February 6, 1980) who sings with his band Talanas and Bridie Sinden (born September 1, 1990).

He is an atheist and secularist, a supporter of the British Humanist Association and National Secular Society, a Fellow of the Zoological Society, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Innholders, a Freemason, was awarded the Freedom of the City of London by the Lord Mayor Sir Kenneth Cork, is an Honorary Member of Stunts Incorporated and a Professional Member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain. He represents the UK on the Artistic Advisory Board of the Colorado Festival of World Theatre, is a Founder Member of the Piccadilly Dance Orchestra's Honorary Advisory Development Board and broadcast a regular live monthly slot ‘UK Theatre News’ on ‘The Magazine’ programme for BBC Radio Guernsey.

In Debrett's People of Today he lists his recreations as "exploring Provence, clay pigeon shooting and polo".

He is a member of the Noël Coward Society, London Rowing Club, the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association and Guards Polo Club.

External links

• Film of Hey Jude recording Marc Sinden (wearing grey jacket & tie and horn-rim spectacles) identified (starting at 3' 42") as standing next to Ringo Starr during recording of Hey Jude by The Beatles on 4 Sept 1968.[1]
• Marc Sinden at the Internet Movie Database