Adam Spreadbury-Maher Explained

Adam Spreadbury-Maher
Birth Place:Australia
Occupation:Theatre director, producer and writer

Adam Spreadbury-Maher is an Australian/Irish theatre artistic director, producer and writer. He is the founding artistic director of the Cock Tavern Theatre,[1] OperaUpClose[2] and The Hope Theatre,[3] and was artistic director of the Kings Hesd until 2021 King's Head Theatre.[4] Spreadbury-Maher introduced the first unionised pay agreement for actors in a pub-theatre in 2011, and in 2017 introduced the first fringe creative pay agreement and gender policy.[5]

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.[6] In 2005 Adam moved to the UK, and attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama before making his London directing debut at White Bear Theatre, directing three critically successful shows as the theatre's Associate Director, including the two world premieres The Ides of March[7] by Duncan Ley and Studies for a Portrait[8] by Daniel Reitz. Studies for a Portrait transferred to the Oval House Theatre[9] following its critics' choice sell-out run at the White Bear Theatre.[10] In 2008 Spreadbury-Maher directed Australian actor Mark Little in a production of Così by Louis Nowra.[6] Other early notable productions include the first UK revival of Peter Gill's The York Realist, presented at Riverside Studios to mark Gill's 70th birthday.[11]

In 2010, Spreadbury-Maher was Associate Director on the UK premiere of the multi-award-winning Holding the Man, adapted by Tommy Murphy and based on the novel by Timothy Conigrave.[12] Further 2010 directing work included the UK premiere of Hannie Rayson's landmark Australian play Hotel Sorrento,[13] the rarely revived first play of Peter Gill's The Sleepers Den,[14] the world premiere of Edward Bond's There Will Be More,[15] and ended 2010 with his operatic directing debut in a new version of "Madama Butterfly" retitled "Bangkok Butterfly", which he adapted into English 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."[16] and Michael Tanner in The Spectator, "Beautiful and sexy... the evening was a powerful one".[17]

King's Head Theatre

In March 2010, Spreadbury-Maher was appointed Artistic Director of King's Head Theatre.[18] Spreadbury-Maher has transferred work from the King's Head Theatre to the West End,[19] [20] [21] Australia[22] and Off-Broadway.[23] In 2011 he introduced the first unionised pay agreement for actors in an unfunded pub theatre,[24] which was followed by the first creatives pay agreement and gender policy in 2017.[25]

Cock Tavern Theatre and OperaUpClose

In 2009, Adam founded the Cock Tavern Theatre[18] and OperaUpClose,[26] becoming the company's founding Artistic Director. Under his leadership the theatre followed a strict artistic policy of staging only world premiers and revivals from world class playwrights and composers, a strategy which saw the theatre praised for its imaginative programming and quality productions.[27] At the Cock Tavern Theatre, Adam directed revivals by Stephen Fry, Nick Ward, Hannie Rayson and produced a six-decade retrospective season of work by Edward Bond, including London, UK and World premieres, and a production of The Fool directed by Bond himself.[28] [29]

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.[30] 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 returned for a further six-week season in January 2011.[31] The production represents the longest running continuously performed La Bohème in its history.[32] Spreadbury-Maher appointed OperaUpClose his resident company when he took over as Artistic Director of the King's Head Theatre in 2010, producing regularly from the Islington base, including a landmark production of Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea directed in a new version by Mark Ravenhill with additional musical material by Michael Nyman; the production was awarded five-stars by London's Evening Standard and starred Rebecca Caine.[33] Spreadbury-Maher directed new productions of A Masked Ball and Tosca for OperaUpClose (in his own new English versions) the latter in a co-production with Malmö Opera, which transferred to London's Soho Theatre.[34] His Artistic Directorship of OperaUpClose ended in January 2013.

Spreadbury-Maher was awarded the Fringe Report Award 2010 for Best Artistic Director as recognition of the success at the Cock. Mark Shenton of The Stage awarded The Cock Tavern the Dan Crawford Peter Brook Award in 2009, nine months after being opened by Spreadbury-Maher. The venue permanently closed in April 2011 following a council inspection which revealed the lack of the correct performance license.[35]

Hope Theatre

Spreadbury-Maher founded the Hope Theatre in October 2013 on the first floor of the historic Hope and Anchor in Islington, a short distance from the King's Head Theatre. The 50-seat theatre was set up as an experiment to demonstrate that actors could be paid in smaller fringe spaces,[36] and was the first off-West End venue to open with an Equity agreement.[37] During his time as Artistic Director, Spreadbury programmed the first production of Ushers the Front of House Musical which later transferred to the Arts Theatre.[38] His last production as Artistic Director was the world premiere of Joe Orton's first play Fred & Madge, directed by his former assistant and protege Mary Franklin.[39] Adam's tenure as Artistic Director earned him a place on The Stage newspaper's coveted Stage 100 list.[40] The Hope Theatre continues to operate and has maintained Spreadbury's founding policy of paying actors and stage management at all times.[37]

Awards

Winner

Nominations

Work

As a director

Theatre – artistic director

Opera – artistic director

As a translator

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: London's Cock Tavern may be no more – but you can't kill the fringe. The Guardian. 2011-04-12. Spreadbury-Maher. Adam.
  2. News: OperaUpClose: Puccini in the pub. The Guardian. 2009-12-03. Moss. Stephen.
  3. Web site: New Writing and New Ethics at the New Hope Theatre. 2013-11-11.
  4. Web site: London's King's Head Theatre Appoints Adam Spreadbury-Maher as New Artistic Director. 2010-03-02.
  5. Web site: London's King's Head extends flat-rate pay to creative teams | News. 2017-06-29.
  6. http://www.rainbownetwork.com/UserPortal/Article/Detail.aspx?ID=21862&sid=54 GaydarNation
  7. Web site: The Ides of March at White Bear Theatre – Fringe – Time Out London . Timeout.com . 21 December 2008 . 2013-10-07.
  8. Web site: Studies for a Portrait at White Bear Theatre – Fringe – Time Out London . Timeout.com . 1 February 2009 . 2013-10-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121018221201/http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/event/37803/studies-for-a-portrait . 18 October 2012 . dead .
  9. Web site: Studies for a Portrait > In our Theatre > Oval House Theatre.. https://web.archive.org/web/20111003011042/http://www.ovalhouse.com/cn/event_details.php?sectionid=theatre&eventid=332. dead. 2011-10-03. 3 October 2011. 2017-07-18.
  10. http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/offwest+end/E8831243333589/Studies+for+a+Portrait.html Studies for a Portrait Reviews at The King's Head Theatre – London
  11. http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/event/157243/the-york-realist The York Realist at Riverside Studios – Off-West End – Time Out London
  12. http://holdingtheman.co.uk/castcreative/ Cast & Creative
  13. http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/29315/hotel-sorrento The Stage / Reviews / Hotel Sorrento
  14. http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/sleepersden-rev.htm The British Theatre Guide : Reviews – The Sleepers Den (Riverside Studios)
  15. http://www.thestage.co.uk/listings/production.php/48781/there-will-be-more The Stage / Listings / There Will Be More
  16. News: Fiona Maddocks. Fiona Maddocks . Los Angeles Philharmonic/ Dudamel; OperaUpClose – review | Music | The Observer . Guardian . 30 January 2011 . 2013-10-07 . London.
  17. http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts-and-culture/opera/page_4/6629373/part_3/gender-problems-.thtml
  18. Web site: London's King's Head Theatre Appoints Adam Spreadbury-Maher as New Artistic Director Playbill. Playbill. en. 2017-07-29. 2010-03-02.
  19. News: The opera novice: Tosca, OperaUpClose. Telegraph.co.uk. 2017-07-29. en.
  20. News: King's Head's Vieux Carré announces Charing Cross transfer. WhatsOnStage.com. 2017-07-29.
  21. News: La Traviata, Soho Theatre – opera review. 14 August 2014. Evening Standard. 2017-07-29. en-GB.
  22. News: Trainspotting Live: The things that splatter. Cuthbertson. Debbie. 20 March 2017. The Age. 2017-07-29. en-US.
  23. News: BWW Review: 5 GUYS CHILLIN', King's Head Theatre. Marcolina. Cindy. BroadwayWorld.com. 2017-07-29. en.
  24. News: King's Head Theatre workers to get 22% pay rise News The Stage. 30 June 2015. The Stage. 2017-07-29. en-US.
  25. News: London's King's Head extends flat-rate pay to creative teams News The Stage. 29 June 2017. The Stage. 2017-07-29. en-US.
  26. News: OperaUpClose: Puccini in the pub. Moss. Stephen. 3 December 2009. The Guardian. 2017-07-29. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  27. http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8831246620400&title=Make+Mine+a+Double&ref=O Latin! or, Tobacco and Boys Reviews at Cock Tavern Theatre – London
  28. News: Kilburn's Cock Tavern Hosts Edward Bond Season. WhatsOnStage.com. 2017-07-29.
  29. Web site: London's Cock Tavern Theatre Will Present Nine-Week Season of Six Edward Bond Plays Playbill. Playbill. en. 2017-07-29. 2010-08-19.
  30. Web site: Home Page – the TLS. 17 May 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110615073958/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article6966749.ece. 15 June 2011.
  31. https://archive.today/20120919105953/http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831268313200/Cock+Tavern+Boheme+Becomes+Soho%92s+First+Opera.html Cock Tavern Boheme Becomes Soho’s First Opera – La bohème at Cock Tavern Theatre – London – News
  32. http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831295346730/La+Boheme+Leads+First+Rep+at+Little+Opera+House.html La Bohème Leads First Rep at Little Opera House – La bohème at Soho Theatre – London – News
  33. Web site: Playwright Mark Ravenhill To Direct Jazz Version of Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea; Rebecca Caine Stars Playbill. Playbill. en. 2017-07-29. 2011-02-11.
  34. Web site: Past Productions. OperaUpClose. en-GB. 2017-07-29.
  35. News: Cock Tavern Theatre announces permanent closure News The Stage. 8 April 2011. The Stage. 2017-07-29. en-US.
  36. News: King's Head opens new theatre in Islington promising to pay minimum. https://web.archive.org/web/20131104084621/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/kings-head-opens-new-theatre-in-islington-promising-to-pay-minimum-wage-8915377.html . 2013-11-04 . limited . live. 31 October 2013. The Independent. 2017-07-29. en-GB.
  37. Web site: Hope Theatre signs new fringe pay deal – Equity. www.equity.org.uk. en. 2017-07-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20170730071404/https://www.equity.org.uk/news-and-events/equity-news/hope-theatre-signs-new-fringe-pay-deal/. 30 July 2017. dead. dmy-all.
  38. Web site: Ushers The Front of House Musical Arts Theatre London. www.officialtheatre.com. en. 2017-07-29.
  39. Web site: Joe Orton News and Events. www.joeorton.org. 2017-07-29.
  40. News: The Stage 100 2014 by category: London theatre Features The Stage. 3 January 2014. The Stage. 2017-07-29. en-US.
  41. Web site: OffWestEnd.com – News – 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. www.offwestend.com. 2017-07-29.
  42. Web site: La Bohème wins Best New Opera Production – Laurence Olivier Awards . https://archive.today/20120908062112/http://www.olivierawards.com/news/view/item115080/La-Boh%E8me-wins-Best-New-Opera-Production/ . dead . 2012-09-08 . Olivierawards.com . 2013-10-07 . dmy .
  43. http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831291348480/Whatsonstage.com+Awards+Nominees+Announced.html Awards Nominees Announced – – News
  44. Web site: 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 . 2013-10-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140715130741/http://www.offwestend.com/index.php/pages/the_offies . 15 July 2014 .
  45. Web site: The British Theatre Guide: 2011 Empty Space Awards Nominees . Britishtheatreguide.info . 2013-10-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121112175122/http://britishtheatreguide.info/news/emptyspace2011-nom.htm . 12 November 2012 . dmy .
  46. Web site: Coming Clean London @ Kings Head Theatre - Tickets and Discounts.
  47. Web site: La Boheme review at King's Head Theatre, London.
  48. News: Theatre: Strangers in Between at King's Head Theatre, N1. The Times. 2017-01-20. Hutera. Donald.
  49. Web site: Trainspotting part of the King's Head Theatre 2015 Season. 2014-11-27.
  50. Web site: Dead Party Animals at the Hope | Theatre review.
  51. News: A Tale of Two Cities at King's Head, N1. The Times. October 2013. Maxwell. Dominic.
  52. Web site: Classical review: Verdi's Ballo, King's Head Theatre, London. https://web.archive.org/web/20170730014153/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/classical-review-verdi-s-ballo-king-s-head-theatre-london-8608719.html . 2017-07-30 . limited . live . . 2013-05-09.
  53. Web site: Tosca – King's Head Theatre, London. 2012-10-11.
  54. Web site: På turné med ovanlig "Tosca". 26 January 2012.
  55. News: Denial – review . Michael . Billington . 21 May 2012.
  56. Web site: Così, King's Head, London. https://web.archive.org/web/20170730063340/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/cos236-kings-head-london-2304469.html . 2017-07-30 . limited . live . . 2011-06-29.
  57. News: Los Angeles Philharmonic/ Dudamel; OperaUpClose – review. The Guardian. 2011-01-30. Maddocks. Fiona.
  58. Web site: Theatre review: There Will be More at Cock Tavern Theatre.
  59. Web site: Theatre review: The Sleepers den at Peter Gill season
    Riverside Studios
    .
  60. Web site: Hotel Sorrento review at Cock Tavern London | Review | Theatre.
  61. Web site: Studies for a Portrait @ King's Head Theatre, London | Theatre. 2010-03-31.
  62. News: The York Realist | Theatre review. The Guardian. 2009-10-02. Billington. Michael.
  63. Web site: Good Night Out Presents THE PRESENT at the Cock Tavern Theatre 8/18-9/5.
  64. Web site: Latin! Or Tobacco and Boys & Last Drinks at Cock Tavern Theatre - Ongoing.
  65. Web site: About: STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT . https://web.archive.org/web/20170730020613/http://www.offwestend.com/index.php/plays/view/2861 . dead . OffWestEnd.com . 30 July 2017.
  66. Web site: Studies for a Portrait at White Bear Theatre - Fringe.
  67. Web site: The Ides of March at White Bear Theatre - Fringe.
  68. Web site: Cosi review at White Bear London | Review | Theatre.
  69. Web site: AusStage.
  70. News: Vieux Carré – Charing Cross Theatre, London. 19 August 2012. The Reviews Hub. 2017-07-31. en-US.
  71. Web site: Pins and Needles, Cock Tavern, London. https://web.archive.org/web/20101124065051/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/pins-and-needles-cock-tavern-london-2141078.html . 2010-11-24 . limited . live . . 2010-11-23.