Ira Gershwin, the first songwriter to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, was born in New York City on December 6, 1896. In 1917 The Evening Sun published his first song ("You May Throw All The Rice You Desire But Please Friends, Throw No Shoes"). Four years later Ira enjoyed his first major stage success, Two Little Girls in Blue, written with another Broadway newcomer, Vincent Youmans. In 1924 Ira and his brother, George, created the smash hit Lady Be Good and went on to continue their remarkable collaboration through a dozen major stage scores, producing such standards as "Fascinating Rhythm," ... read more
George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898, and began his musical training when he was 13. At 16 he quit high school to work as a "song plugger" for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself. "Swanee," as introduced by Al Jolson, brought George his first real fame and led to his writing a succession of 22 musical comedies, most with his older brother, Ira. The Gershwins' shows include Lady Be Good, Oh, Kay!, Strike Up the Band, Girl Crazy, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Of Thee I Sing. From his early career George ... read more
Ira Gershwin, the first songwriter to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, was born in New York City on December 6, 1896. In 1917 The Evening Sun published his first song ("You May Throw All The Rice You Desire But Please Friends, Throw No Shoes"). Four years later Ira enjoyed his first major stage success, Two Little Girls in Blue, written with another Broadway newcomer, Vincent Youmans. In 1924 Ira and his brother, George, created the smash hit Lady Be Good and went on to continue their remarkable collaboration through a dozen major stage scores, producing such standards as "Fascinating Rhythm," ... read more
Born in Holland, Paul studied Stage Management at Central School of Speech and Drama
graduating in 1981.
Credits at the National Theatre Include:
Anything Goes, Anthony and Cleopatra, His Dark Materials, Edmond, Henry V, The Coast of Utopia, My Fair Lady, Hamlet (1987, 2011), The Oedipus Play, Summerfolk, The Merchant of Venice, The Rose TaFoo, RaGa RaGa, Candide, Oklahoma!, Oh, What a Lovely War!, A LiFle Night Music, Lady in the Dark, Guys and Dolls (NT 1990, Savoy 2015); Sunday in the Park With George, Sweeney Todd, Carousel, Follies, The House of Bernarda Alba, Buried Child, Henry IV Parts I & II, All ... read more
Since his arrival in London from New York many years ago, David Hersey has designed the lighting for hundreds of plays, musicals, operas and ballets. He was lighting consultant to the National Theatre for ten years and is a past chairman and current fellow of the Association of Lighting Designers. In 2002 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Middlesex University. His many awards include Tonys for Best Lighting Design for Evita, Cats and Les Misérables plus the 1996 Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design for Burning Blue, The Glass Menagerie and Twelfth Night. He received Tony nominations for The ... read more
Trevor Nunn was educated at Downing College, Cambridge, and in 1962 he won an ABC Director’s Scholarship to the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, where, as resident director, his productions included The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Peer Gynt and a musical version of Around the World in Eighty Days.
He recently returned to the Belgrade to direct a production of Scenes from a Marriage.
In 1964, Trevor joined the RSC, and was made the company’s youngest-ever artistic director in 1968. He was responsible for running the RSC until he retired from his post in 1986. Productions for the RSC included: The Revenger’s Tragedy, The Relapse, ... read more
Jason was nominated for an Olivier for the role of Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson in the original cast of Hamilton, West End. He was also nominated for an Olivier for the role of Bobby Dupree in Memphis: The Musical at the Shaftesbury. He was Olivier and WhatsOnStage-nominated for the role of Jacob in La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse. Jason has three affiliated Best New Musical Olivier nominations for shows he choreographed: Soul Sister, Porgy and Bess and The Big Life (also WhatsOnStage nominated). Theatre includes: Father Comes Home from the Wars (Royal Court), Guys and Dolls (Phoenix), Kiss Me, Kate (Chichester Festival Theatre and Old Vic), Cats (UK tour), Starlight Express (Apollo Victoria), Five Guys Named Moe (Albery), Rent (Prince of Wales/first ... read more
Donald John Sebesky was an American composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz trombonist. He was a multi-instrumentalist and could play a number of other instruments: keyboards, electric piano, organ, accordion, and clavinet. ... read more
