Jonathan O'Boyle

Director

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Photograph: Nick Rutter

Film, TV & Theatre

Assistant: Phoebe O'Donnell

Film, TV & Theatre

Jonathan is Director of the School of Musical Theatre at Arts Educational School.  He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and Birkbeck, University of London.

He won Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical Production at the 2021 Off West End Awards for his production of The Last Five Years (Southwark Playhouse). His production of Hair won the 2018 WhatsOnStage award for Best Off-West End production.

★ ★ ★ ★ 
As director O’Boyle proved in his acclaimed version of The Last Five Years and the 2017/8 Hope Mill and Southwark Pippin, he’s a master at balancing intelligent dramatic choices with crowd-pleasing theatrical pyrotechnics, and is on similar form here

WhatsOnStage on Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical (The Other Palace)

★ ★ ★ ★ 
a fast, funny, guilty pleasure ... the whole thing is a sexy, smirky, tongue-in-someone-else’s cheek riot

Evening Standard on Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical 

★ ★ ★ ★ 
Jonathan O’Boyle’s ebullient production

The Times on Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 
You won't have seen a better production of The Last Five Years before. I'd even go for as to say it is the definitive production.

WhatsOnStage on The Last Five Years (Southwark Playhouse) 

★ ★ ★ ★ 
Jonathan O’Boyle’s celebration of the songs of Irving Berlin arrives at the right moment .. plenty of vim and heart

The Times on Top Hat (The Mill at Sonning)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ravishingly good … an unalloyed masterwork

The Stage on Aspects of Love (Southwark Playhouse)

In Development

ProductionCompanyNotes
2024

Theatre Royal Drury Lane

50th Anniversary Concert
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and Book by Roger O. Hirson

2024

Watermill Theatre

Book by Mark Bramble, Lyrics by Michael Stewart and Music by Cy Coleman

2024

The Mill at Sonning

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Book by David Ives and Paul Blake

Theatre

ProductionCompanyNotes
2024

The Other Palace

Created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble

2023

UK Tour/Bill Kenwright Ltd

Revised Production
Written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth

2023

China Tour/Royo

2023

UK Tour

Adapted by Shaun McKenna from the novel by Peter James

2022

Mill at Sonning

Revival of sell-out 2021 production

2022

Lambert Jackson

Workshop

2021 - 2022

UK Tour

Adapted by Shaun McKenna from the novel by Peter James

2021

Garrick Theatre

West End transfer

2021

Mill at Sonning

Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Based on RKO’s Motion Picture
Book by Matthew White & Howard Jacques

2021

Turbine Theatre

By Graham Lappin, Mark Anderson & Lee Freeman

2021

Arts Ed

Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Book by Chad Beguelin & Tim Herlihy

2020

Southwark Playhouse

Written and composed by Jason Robert Brown
Actor-Musician production
Off-West End Awards for Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical Production
Nominated for WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production

2019

Hope Mill Theatre

Book by Allan Knee
Music And Lyrics by Andre Catrini

2019

Arts Ed

Songs by George and Ira Gershwin
Book by Joe DiPietro

2019

Cadogan Hall

Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
New Book by Douglas Carter Beane
Original Book by Oscar Hammerstein II

2019

Palais du Variété Spiegeltent, Edinburgh/Bill Kenwright Ltd

Created by Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross

2019

Soho Theatre/Take Two Theatricals

UK Premiere
By Max Vernon
Nominated for Off-West End Award for Best Musical Production

2019

UK Tour

Book and Lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and Music by Galt MacDermot

2019

Hope Mill Theatre/Southwark Playhouse

Music and Book by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart
Nominated for Best Best Direction of a New Production of a Musical & Best New Production of a Musical, 2018 Broadway World UK Awards

2018

Park 200

By J.M. Barrie
Nominated for Off-West End Award for Best Director

2018

Trafalgar Studios 2

By Ken Urban

2018

Bill Kenwright Ltd/UK Tour

By Dan Gordon
Extended into 2019

2018

Trafalgar Studios 2/Troupe Productions

UK Premiere, starring Tanya Moodie and Elizabeth Berrington
By Joel Drake Johnson
Nominated for Off-West End Award for Best Director

2018

Southwark Playhouse/Hope Mill Theatre

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and Book by Roger O. Hirson
Shortlisted for Off-West End Award for Best Musical Production

2018

Headlong/UK Tour

Replica Director
By James Graham
Dir. Jeremy Herrin

2017

Southwark Playhouse

By J.M. Barrie

2017

UK Tour/The Vaults/Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester

Book and Lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and Music by Galt MacDermot
WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production
Shortlisted for Off-West End Award for Best Musical Production

2017

Dominion Theatre/Playful Productions

Resident Director
Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Book by Craig Lucas
Dir. Christopher Wheeldon
Nominated for Best New Musical, 2018 Olivier Awards

2016 - 2017

Chichester Festival Theatre/Garrick Theatre

Associate Director
By James Graham
Dir. Jeremy Herrin
Nominated for Best Revival of a Play, 2017 Olivier Awards

2016

Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto/Brooklyn Academy of Music

Associate Director
By David Hare
Dir. Neil Armfield

2016

Theatre503

By Jake Brunger
Nominated for 2016 Off-West End Award for Best Director

2015

Chichester Festival Theatre/Playful Productions

Associate Director
By Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart
Dir. Jonathan Church

2015

Theatre503

By Ken Urban
Time Out Critic's Choice
Nominated for Best Direction of a New Production of a Play, 2015 BroadwayWorld UK/West End Awards

2015

Old Red Lion/Aria Entertainment

Book, Music and Lyrics by Andy Collyer

THE SURPLUS

2015

Young Vic

Schools Theatre Production

2015

Young Vic

Associate Director
By Mike Bartlett
Dir. Clare Lizzimore
2015 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre

2015

Old Red Lion

By Ella Carmen Greenhill
* * * * ... incandescent with feeling ... O’Boyle’s production is so intense, so contained - The Times

2014

Sheffield Lyceum/UK Tour

Associate Director
By Tim Firth
Dir. Daniel Evans

ALL THE WAYS TO SAY GOODBYE

2014

Young Vic 5 Plays

New play by Neil LaBute

2014

Theatre503

By Christopher A. Adams

2014

Trafalgar Studios 2

West End transfer
Time Out Critic's Choice
Nominated for Best Direction of a New Production of a Play, 2014 Broadway World Awards

BASH

2014

Old Red Lion

By Neil LaBute
* * * * ... entirely gripping - What's On Stage
Compelling, confident and provocative - The Stage

THE MONSTER BRIDE

2013

Tristan Bates Theatre

By Brendan Cull

LAST ONLINE TODAY

2013

Sheffield Crucible New Writing Project

By Dominic Aitken

GUINEA PIGS

2013

Sheffield Crucible New Writing Project

By Matt Medlock

AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

2014

Chichester Festival Theatre

By Peter Shaffer
Dir. Jonathan Church

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

2013

Young Vic

By Kander & Ebb
Dir. Susan Stroman

THIS IS MY FAMILY

2013

Sheffield Crucible Studio

By Tim Firth
Dir. Daniel Evans

BULL

2013

Sheffield Crucible Studio/59E59, New York

By Mike Bartlett
Dir. Clare Lizzimore

MY FAIR LADY

2013

Sheffield Crucible

By Lerner & Loewe
Dir. Daniel Evans

THE VILLAGE BIKE

2012

Sheffield Crucible Studio

By Penelope Skinner
Dir. Jonathan Humphries

SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME

2012

Southwark Playhouse

By Frank McGuinness
Dir. Jessica Swale

THE PROVOKED WIFE

2012

Guildhall School of Music and Drama

By John Vanbrugh
Dir. Nick Bagnall

Opera

ProductionCompanyNotes

MANON

2013

Royal Opera House

By Massenet
Assistant Director
Dir. Laurent Pelly, Revival Dir. Christian Rath

Other

ProductionCompanyNotes

WORKSHOPS

Young Vic

Taking Part workshops; Talk Back and Q&A; Onstage workshops; Parallel Production of THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

WORKSHOPS

Sheffield Theatres

Sheffield Theatres Summer School 2013; NT Connections 2013; The Lab: Drama School Auditions; Page to Stage workshops

DIRECTING WORKSHOP

National Student Drama Festival