Jonathan O'Boyle
Director
Photograph: Nick Rutter
Film, TV & Theatre
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. His production of Hair won the 2018 WhatsOnStage award for Best Off-West End production.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For Jonathan O’Boyle’s production, the Watermill’s tiny stage is transformed into a circus ring spacious enough to fit one shy elephant and 18 dazzling, multiskilled performer-musicians, in seemingly perpetual movement
The Observer on Barnum (Watermill Theatre)
★ ★ ★ ★
Jonathan O’Boyle’s delightful staging of this tale of backstage romance and misunderstanding, set in the aftermath of World War II, doesn’t disappoint
WhatsOnStage on White Christmas (The Mill at Sonning)
★ ★ ★ ★
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 (The Other Palace)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
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)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ravishingly good … an unalloyed masterwork
The Stage on Aspects of Love (Southwark Playhouse)
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
2025 | UK Tour/Josh Andrews Productions | Adapted by Shaun McKenna from the novel by Peter James |
2025 | UK Tour/Bill Kenwright Ltd | Created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble |
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
2024 | Mill at Sonning | Based upon the Paramount Pictures film, written for the screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. |
2024 | DEM Shows Ltd/The Savoy Theatre | Staged Workshop Performance |
2024 | Watermill Theatre | Book by Mark Bramble, Lyrics by Michael Stewart and Music by Cy Coleman |
2024 | Theatre Royal Drury Lane | 50th Anniversary Concert |
2024 | The Other Palace | Created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble |
2023 | Richmond Theatre/Crossroads | |
2023 | UK Tour/Bill Kenwright Ltd | Revised Production |
2023 | China Tour/Royo | |
2023 | UK Tour/Josh Andrews Productions | Adapted by Shaun McKenna from the novel by Peter James |
2022 | Orchard Theatre/Crossroads | |
2022 | Mill at Sonning | Revival of sell-out 2021 production |
2022 | Lambert Jackson | Workshop |
2021 - 2022 | UK Tour/Josh Andrews Productions | 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 |
2021 | Turbine Theatre | By Graham Lappin, Mark Anderson & Lee Freeman |
2021 | Arts Ed | Music by Matthew Sklar |
2020 | Southwark Playhouse | Written and composed by Jason Robert Brown |
2019 | Hope Mill Theatre | Book by Allan Knee |
2019 | Arts Ed | Songs by George and Ira Gershwin |
2019 | Cadogan Hall | Music by Richard Rodgers |
2019 | Palais du Variété Spiegeltent, Edinburgh/Bill Kenwright Ltd | Created by Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross |
2019 | Soho Theatre/Take Two Theatricals | UK Premiere |
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 |
2018 | Park 200 | By J.M. Barrie |
2018 | Trafalgar Studios 2 | By Ken Urban |
2018 | Bill Kenwright Ltd/UK Tour | By Dan Gordon |
2018 | Trafalgar Studios 2/Troupe Productions | UK Premiere, starring Tanya Moodie and Elizabeth Berrington |
2018 | Southwark Playhouse/Hope Mill Theatre | Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and Book by Roger O. Hirson |
2018 | Headlong/UK Tour | Replica Director |
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 |
2017 | Dominion Theatre/Playful Productions | Resident Director |
2016 - 2017 | Chichester Festival Theatre/Garrick Theatre | Associate Director |
2016 | Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto/Brooklyn Academy of Music | Associate Director |
2016 | Theatre503 | By Jake Brunger |
2015 | Chichester Festival Theatre/Playful Productions | Associate Director |
2015 | Theatre503 | By Ken Urban |
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 |
2015 | Old Red Lion | By Ella Carmen Greenhill |
2014 | Sheffield Lyceum/UK Tour | Associate Director |
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 |
BASH 2014 | Old Red Lion | By Neil LaBute |
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 |
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS 2013 | Young Vic | By Kander & Ebb |
THIS IS MY FAMILY 2013 | Sheffield Crucible Studio | By Tim Firth |
BULL 2013 | Sheffield Crucible Studio/59E59, New York | By Mike Bartlett |
MY FAIR LADY 2013 | Sheffield Crucible | By Lerner & Loewe |
THE VILLAGE BIKE 2012 | Sheffield Crucible Studio | By Penelope Skinner |
SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME 2012 | Southwark Playhouse | By Frank McGuinness |
THE PROVOKED WIFE 2012 | Guildhall School of Music and Drama | By John Vanbrugh |
Opera
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
MANON 2013 | Royal Opera House | By Massenet |
Other
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
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 |