Nicholas Hytner
Director
Film, TV & Theatre
Books
Film, TV & Theatre
Nicholas Hytner was born in Manchester, and educated at Manchester Grammar School and Cambridge University, where he read English.
Following brief spells as an actor and assistant stage manager, his first theatre productions were at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter. He then directed a series of productions at the Leeds Playhouse, and in 1985 became an Associate Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. His productions in Manchester included Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT, Marlowe's EDWARD II, Schiller's DON CARLOS, Wycherley's THE COUNTRY WIFE and Robin Glendinning's MUMBO JUMBO.
Nicholas was Director of the National Theatre from 2003 until March 2015.
He has received two Oliver Awards, two Evening Standard Awards, the London Critics Circle Award, a Drama Desk Award and a Tony. His film THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE received the Alexandra Korda BAFTA for Best British Film and was nominated for two further BAFTAs (Best Film, Best Director). It was also nominated for the Cannes Palme D'Or and won the Evening Standard Best Film Award.
Film
Production | Company | Notes |
---|---|---|
THE LADY IN THE VAN | ||
THE HISTORY BOYS | ||
CENTER STAGE | ||
THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION | ||
THE CRUCIBLE | ||
THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE |
Theatre
Production | Company | Notes |
---|---|---|
JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN | The Bridge Theatre | |
THE SOUTHBURY CHILD | The Bridge Theatre | |
STRAIGHT LINE CRAZY | The Bridge Theatre | |
LA BELLE SAUVAGE | The Bridge Theatre | |
BACH AND SONS | The Bridge Theatre | |
BEAT THE DEVIL | The Bridge Theatre | |
TWO LADIES | The Bridge Theatre | |
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM | The Bridge Theatre | |
ALYS, ALWAYS | The Bridge Theatre | |
ALLELUJAH! | The Bridge Theatre | |
JULIUS CAESAR | The Bridge Theatre | |
YOUNG MARX | The Bridge Theatre | |
THE HARD PROBLEM | Dorfman Theatre | |
GREAT BRITAIN | Lyttleton Theatre | |
OTHELLO | Olivier Theatre | |
TIMON OF ATHENS | Olivier Theatre | |
TRAVELLING LIGHT | Lyttleton Theatre | |
COLLABORATORS | Cottesloe Theatre | |
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS | Lyttleton Theatre | |
HAMLET | Olivier Theatre | |
LONDON ASSURANCE | Olivier Theatre | |
THE HABIT OF ART | Lyttleton Theatre | |
PHEDRE | Lyttleton Theatre | |
ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE | Olivier Theatre | |
MAJOR BARBARA | Olivier Theatre | |
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING | Olivier Theatre | |
RAFTA RAFTA | Lyttleton Theatre | |
THE MAN OF MODE | Olivier Theatre | |
THE ALCHEMIST | Olivier Theatre | |
SOUTHWARK FAIR | Cottesloe Theatre | |
HENRY IV PARTS 1 & 2 | Olivier Theatre | |
STUFF HAPPENS | Olivier Theatre | |
THE HISTORY BOYS | Lyttleton Theatre | |
HIS DARK MATERIALS | Olivier Theatre | |
THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION | Twentieth Century Fox | |
HENRY V | Lyttleton Theatre | |
THE CRUCIBLE | Twentieth Century Fox | |
THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE | Channel 4 | |
TWELFTH NIGHT | PBS | |
HENRY V | Olivier Theatre | |
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS | Martin Beck Theatre | |
MOTHER CLAP'S MOLLY HOUSE | Lyttleton Theatre | |
THE WINTER'S TALE | Olivier Theatre | |
CRESSIDA | The Albery | |
ORPHEUS DESCENDING | Donmar Warehouse | |
THE LADY IN THE VAN | Queens | |
TWELFTH NIGHT | Lincoln Center Theatre | |
THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN | Cottesloe Theatre | |
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST | Aldwych | |
CAROUSEL | Lincoln Center Theatre | |
CAROUSEL | National Theatre | |
THE RECRUITING OFFICER | Olivier Theatre | |
THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III | National Theatre | |
KING LEAR | Barbican Theatre | |
MISS SAIGON | Broadway Theatre | |
MISS SAIGON | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | |
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS | Olivier Theatre | |
VOLPONE | Almeida | |
GHETTO | National Theatre | |
MEASURE FOR MEASURE | Barbican Theatre | |
THE TEMPEST | RSC | |
MUMBO JUMBO | Royal Exchange Theatre | |
AS YOU LIKE IT | Royal Exchange Theatre | |
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL | Chichester Festival Theatre | |
JUMPERS | Royal Exchange Theatre | |
ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR | Northcott Theatre |
Opera
Production | Company | Notes |
---|---|---|
DON CARLO | Royal Opera | |
DON CARLO | Metropolitan Opera | |
COSI FAN TUTTE | Glyndebourne | |
THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN | Paris Opera | |
DON GIOVANNI | Bavarian State Opera | |
THE FORCE OF DESTINY | ENO | |
LA CLEMENZA DI TITO | Glyndebourne | |
LE NOZZE DE FIGARO | Geneva Opera | |
THE MAGIC FLUTE | ENO | |
THE KNOT GARDEN | Royal Opera | |
THE KING GOES FORTH TO FRANCE | Royal Opera | |
GIULIO CESARE | Paris Opera | |
XERXES | ENO | |
RIENZI | ENO | |
KING PRIAM | Kent Opera | |
SAKUNTALA | Wexford Festival Opera | |
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO | Kent Opera | |
THE TURN OF THE SCREW | Kent Opera |
Books
Nicholas Hytner's first book, BALANCING ACTS: BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE, was published by Jonathan Cape in May 2017.
Praise for BALANCING ACTS (2017):
'Balancing Acts is at least partly a memoir, melded with lessons learned from three decades at the hard end of the directing/producing business. The central dictum, repeated more than once, is that “high-minded can also be showbiz gold”, and the book aims to unveil the formula of this mysterious alchemy. It should be read not simply by anyone who has an interest in British theatre, but anyone interested in that oldest of questions: how you make art that sells... Hytner is at his best when delving into texts he knows intimately and discussing playwrights he loves, and his insights on Shakespeare and Bennett are worth the price of the book alone.' Guardian
'This is not a conventional theatre memoir. There’s little gossip and no sentimentality. The qualities of Hytner’s writing are the qualities of his work as a director — he doesn’t generalise, he’s specific, he’s detailed, he’s witty and entertaining, has an ability to be serious without being portentous, and he’s able to tell a good story. He’s generous without being self-serving and politic without being unctuous... Hytner’s artful balancing act between indiscretion and reticence illustrates the canniness that enabled him to run the theatre so brilliantly... You don’t have to be interested in theatre or even in culture to enjoy this book; you just have to be curious about the anatomy and psychology of a large organisation. But if you do happen to be interested in one of the few organisations in Britain that actually achieves what it’s supposed to — along with the Tate, the British Museum, the National Gallery and the BBC — then you’ll be delighted. What’s more, in the account of Hytner’s directing at least six Shakespeare plays (including a definitive Timon of Athens) you’ll find yourself given a masterclass.' Richard Eyre, Evening Standard
'[A] hugely entertaining memoir... Throughout, [Hytner] balances wit with intellectual gravitas, gossip with self-deprecation and mischief with serious insight... At the spine of the book is a palpable sense of the work and camaraderie that drives the creation of drama. Hytner has a writer’s instinct for detail, drawing you into the room with luminaries such as Arthur Miller and John Gielgud, letting you eavesdrop on rehearsals. He’s at his precise best on Shakespeare (brilliantly incisive and revealing on Hamlet) and on Alan Bennett.' Financial Times
'[A] wonderful book: stimulating, intelligent, gossipy, heartfelt, affectionate, honest and, perhaps above all, fun.' Daily Mail
'Balancing Acts [is] a piece of prose as simultaneously controlled and revealing as Hytner himself. It never dishes the dirt – it mentions flops, but only names one, the excruciating portmanteau play Greenland – and keeps personal insight and agonised soul-searching to an absolute minimum. But it is revelatory nonetheless, full of anecdotes about the terrifying art of bringing a play alive, and full of insight about the sheer daredevil tightrope act that running the National Theatre involves... Hytner's book is a vital reminder both of what theatre can do – and what is at stake if we take it for granted.' What's On Stage
Non-Fiction
Publication Details | Notes |
---|---|
2017 Jonathan Cape | You start with a vision, and you deliver a compromise. You want a play to be challenging, ambitious, nuanced and complicated. You also want it to sell tickets. You want to make art, and you know you’re in show business. These are some of the balancing acts that the National Theatre, and this book, is about. This is the inside story of twelve years at the helm of Britain’s greatest theatre. It is a story of lunatic failures and spectacular successes such as The History Boys, War Horse and One Man, Two Guvnors; of opening the doors of the National Theatre to a broader audience than ever before, and changing the public’s perception of what theatre is for. It is about probing Shakespeare from every angle and reinventing the classics. About fostering new talent and directing some of the most celebrated actors of our times. Its cast includes the likes of Alan Bennett, Maggie Smith, Mike Leigh, Daniel Day-Lewis, Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren. Intimate, candid and insightful, Balancing Acts is a passionate exploration of the art and alchemy of making theatre. |