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Adam Spreadbury-Maher

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Adam Spreadbury-Maher
Born
Australia
Occupation(s)Theatre director and producer

Adam Spreadbury-Maher is a multi-award-winning[1] Australian/Irish theatre artistic director, producer and translator. He was the founding Artistic Director of London's Cock Tavern Theatre from January 2009 until the venues closure in April 2011.[2] He became Artistic Director of the King's Head Theatre in March 2010. He is the artistic director of theatre company Good Night Out Presents and joint artistic director of opera company OperaUpClose.

Biography

Spreadbury-Maher was born in Australia. He received his initial training as an opera singer at the Canberra School of Music. His debut directorial production of Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing won Spreadbury-Maher an Australian Critics’ Circle Award in 2004.[3] In 2005 Adam moved to the UK, and, after walking out of training at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, made his London directing debut at White Bear Theatre, producing three critically successful shows as the theatre’s Associate Director, including the two world premieres The Ides of March[4] by Duncan Ley and "Studies for a Portrait"[5] by Daniel Reitz. In 2008 Adam founded theatre company Good Night Out Presents which is the parent company of his venues and theatre/opera companies. The company's production of Studies for a Portrait transferred to the Oval House Theatre[6] following its critics' choice sell-out run at the White Bear Theatre.[7] In 2008 Spreadbury-Maher directed Australian actor Mark Little in a production of Così by Louis Nowra, also for Good Night Out Presents.[3] Other notable productions include the first UK revival of Peter Gill’s The York Realist, presented at Riverside Studios to mark Gill’s 70th birthday.[8]

In 2010, Spreadbury-Maher was Associate Director on UK premiere of the multi-award winning Holding the Man, adapted by Tommy Murphy and based on the novel by Timothy Conigrave.[9] Further 2010 directing work included UK premiere of Hannie Rayson's landmark Australian play Hotel Sorrento,[10] the rarely revived first play of Peter Gill’s The Sleepers Den,[11] the world premiere of Edward Bond's There Will Be More.[12] Spreadbury-Maher ended 2010 with his operatic directing debut in a new version of "Madama Butterfly" retitled “Bangkok Butterfly”, which he adapted in English with Ben Cooper for OperaUpClose. The production ran for four months at King's Head Theatre, garnishing critical notice from Fiona Maddocks in The Observer, “Madam Butterfly has been updated to Bangkok Butterfly to chilling effect... full of promise and musically intelligent.”[13] and Michael Tanner in The Spectator, "Beautiful and sexy... the evening was a powerful one".[14]

The Cock Tavern Theatre

In January 2009, Adam founded Cock Tavern Theatre, becoming its Artistic Director. Under his leadership the theatre has followed a strict artistic policy of staging only world premiers and revivals from world class playwrights, a strategy which has seen the theatre praised for its imaginative programming and quality productions.[15] Since the opening of Cock Tavern Theatre Adam has directed revivals by Stephen Fry, Nick Ward, Hannie Rayson and produced a retrospective season of work by Edward Bond.

December 2009 saw Spreadbury-Maher form OperaUpClose with the aim of bringing opera to a wider audience by producing new, classic and difficult pieces which have so far been neglected or previously inaccessible.[16] Adam, alongside Ben Cooper, produced La Boheme, directed by Robin Norton Hale, which was extended at Cock Tavern Theatre for six months following a sell-out run and significant critical acclaim, and which had a six-week sell-out season in July, 2011, at the Soho Theatre, and will return for a further six-week season in January 2011.[17] The production represents the longest running continuously performed La Bohème in its history.[18]

Spreadbury-Maher was awarded the Fringe Report Award 2010 for Best Artistic Director as recognition of the success at the Cock. The award was presented on 9 February at the Leicester Square Theatre. In the Autumn of 2010 Spreadbury-Maher produced an Edward Bond retrospective season at Cock Tavern Theatre. The season included 6 Bond plays from 6 decades, including the new commission "There Will Be More", directed by Spreadbury-Maher.[19]

The King’s Head Theatre

In March 2010, Spreadbury-Maher was appointed Artistic Director of King's Head Theatre. He took up the post in October 2010 and is now in his third year working alongside his leadership team of Dominic Haddock and Robin Norton-Hale. It was stated that a similar in-house producing model to that of Cock Tavern Theatre will be introduced at the King's Head, and that both OperaUpClose and Good Night Out Presents will reside at the venue as well as at the Cock.[20] Adam’s first production at the King's Head, was Studies for a Portrait. The production was hailed as a successful start to Spreadbury-Maher’s reign at the theatre.[21]

Awards

Winner

  • The Laurence Olivier Awards - Best New Opera for La Bohème at Soho Theatre, 2011[22]
  • What's On Stage.com Awards – Best Off-West End Production for La Bohème at The Cock Tavern Theatre, 2011[23]
  • London Fringe Report Awards – Best Artistic Director, 2010
  • Peter Brook… Empty Space Awards – Dan Crawford Innovation Award awarded to Cock Tavern Theatre, 2009
  • Australian Critics’ Circle Award for Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing, 2004

Nominations

Work

As a director

  • Tosca by Giacomo Puccini (2 October 2012 – 10 November 2012) King's Head Theatre, London
  • Tosca by Giacomo Puccini (8 September 2012 – 2 December 2012) Malmö Opera House, Sweden
  • Denial by Arnold Wesker (15 May 2012 – 9 June 2012) King's Head Theatre, London
  • Così by Louis Nowra (19 June 2011 – 13 July 2011) King's Head Theatre, London
  • Madama Butterfly (or Bangkok Butterfly) by Giacomo Puccini (11 December 2010 – 30 March 2011) King's Head Theatre, London
  • There Will Be More by Edward Bond (26 October 2010 – 13 November 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
  • The Sleepers Den by Peter Gill (27 September 2010 – 16 October 2010) Riverside Studios, London
  • Hotel Sorrento by Hannie Rayson (19 August 2010 – 11 September 2010) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
  • Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz (30 March 2010 – 23 May 2010 – revival) King's Head Theatre, London
  • The York Realist by Peter Gill (23 September 2009 – 11 October 2009) Riverside Studios, London
  • The Present by Nick Ward (20 August 2009 – 5 September 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
  • Latin! or Tobacco and Boys by Stephen Fry (23 June – 11 July 2009) The Cock Tavern Theatre, London
  • Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz (19 May 2008 – 13 June 2008 – revival) Oval House, London
  • Studies for a Portrait by Daniel Reitz (9 January 2008 – 1 February 2008) White Bear Theatre, London
  • The Ides of March by Duncan Ley (25 November 2008 – 21 December 2008) White Bear Theatre, London
  • Così by Louis Nowra (29 July 2008 – 24 August 2008) White Bear Theatre, London
  • Loot by Joe Orton (17 June 2005 – 25 June 2005) Australian National University Drama Studio, Canberra
  • Boom Bang-a-Bang by Jonathan Harvey (16 June 2005 – 3 July 2004) Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra
  • Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey (8 January 2004 – 24 January 2004) Street Theatre, Canberra

Theatre - artistic director

Opera - artistic director

As a translator

  • Tosca by Giacomo Puccini (2 October 2012 – 10 November 2012) King's Head Theatre, London
  • Tosca composed by Giacomo Puccini (8 September 2012 – 2 December 2012) Malmö Opera House, Sweden
  • Madama Butterfly (or Bangkok Butterfly) composed by Giacomo Puccini (11 December 2010 – 30 March 2011) King's Head Theatre, London

References

  1. ^ "Opera has the last shout as Boheme hits the boozer". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  2. ^ Hall, Richard (8 April 2011). "Dangerous stairs bring the curtain down on theatre at cutting edge - News - Theatre & Dance". London: The Independent. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  3. ^ a b GaydarNation. Rainbownetwork.com. Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  4. ^ "The Ides of March at White Bear Theatre - Fringe - Time Out London". Timeout.com. 21 December 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Studies for a Portrait at White Bear Theatre - Fringe - Time Out London". Timeout.com. 1 February 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  6. ^ [1][dead link]
  7. ^ Studies for a Portrait Reviews at The King's Head Theatre – London. Whatsonstage.com (13 April 2010). Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  8. ^ The York Realist at Riverside Studios – Off-West End – Time Out London. Timeout.com (1 October 2009). Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  9. ^ Cast & Creative. Holding The Man. Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  10. ^ The Stage / Reviews / Hotel Sorrento. Thestage.co.uk (23 August 2010). Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  11. ^ The British Theatre Guide : Reviews – The Sleepers Den (Riverside Studios). Britishtheatreguide.info. Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  12. ^ The Stage / Listings / There Will Be More. Thestage.co.uk (13 November 2010). Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  13. ^ Fiona Maddocks (30 January 2011). "Los Angeles Philharmonic/ Dudamel; OperaUpClose – review | Music | The Observer". London: Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  14. ^ [2][dead link]
  15. ^ Latin! or, Tobacco and Boys Reviews at Cock Tavern Theatre – London. Whatsonstage.com (3 July 2009). Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  16. ^ https://web.archive.org/20110615073958/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article6966749.ece. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Cock Tavern Boheme Becomes Soho’s First Opera – La bohème at Cock Tavern Theatre – London – News. Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  18. ^ La Bohème Leads First Rep at Little Opera House – La bohème at Soho Theatre – London – News. Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  19. ^ Welcome to The Cock Tavern Theatre. Cocktaverntheatre.com. Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  20. ^ http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/27493/spreadbury-maher-is-appointed-artistic Spreadbury-Maher
  21. ^ Studies for a Portrait @ King's Head Theatre, London | theatre reviews. musicOMH. Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  22. ^ "La Bohème wins Best New Opera Production – Laurence Olivier Awards". Olivierawards.com. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  23. ^ a b Awards Nominees Announced – - News. Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved on 28 January 2011.
  24. ^ "The_offies - The definitive guide to London's Off West End theatre scene, featuring listings and details for over 80 theatres, news, discussion and exclusive special offers". OffWestEnd.com. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  25. ^ "The British Theatre Guide: 2011 Empty Space Awards Nominees". Britishtheatreguide.info. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
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