Michael Fentiman (born 1 June 1982 at

Harlow Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, England) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. Fentiman attended Bretton Hall for three years, where he trained to be an

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, followed by a postgraduate course at Mountview Academy for one year, to be a director."Michael Fentiman"
United Agents. Retrieved 9 December 2018 His directing credits to date (2019) include ''

Titus Andronicus ''The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus'', often shortened to ''Titus Andronicus'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first t ...

'' for the

RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...

, ''

The Importance of being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

'' at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...

, ''Raising Martha'' and

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his murder in 1967 committed by his partner, was short but highly i ...

's '' Loot'' at the Park Theatre, London, ''The Last Days of

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

'' (writer and director) for

Historic Royal Palaces Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that manages the United Kingdom's unoccupied royal palaces: * The Tower of London * Hampton Court Palace * The State Apartments and Orangery at Kensington Palace * The Banqueting House, Whiteh ...

at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

, and '' Amélie the Musical'' (UK national tour from April 2019)

Production reviews

In 2012, Fentiman with

Rupert Goold Rupert Goold (born 18 February 1972) is an English director who works primarily in theatre. He is the artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, and was the artistic director of Headlong Theatre Company (2005–2013). Since 2010, Goold has be ...

co-directed ''

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a portal fantasy novel written by British author C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956 ...

'' for a Threesixty 'tented production' in

Kensington Gardens Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are among the Royal Parks of London. The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde Pa ...

, London. It received a ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

'' three star review. Fentiman directed a 2013 production of ''Titus Andronicus'' for the RSC at the

Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon The Swan Theatre is a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is built on to the side of the larger Royal Shakespeare Theatre, occupying the Victorian Gothic structure that formerly housed the Sh ...

. A review by Michael Billington considered Fentiman's production "strong on momentary effects, utnot exactly a model of intellectual coherence". Charles Spencer in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' saw this production as "a notable RSC debut" by Fentiman, "with just the right mixture of dark wit and in-your-face violence". ''Raising Martha'', a

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

by David Spicer, was directed by Fentiman in 2017.

Lyn Gardner Lyn Gardner is a British theatre critic, children's writer, and journalist who contributes reviews and articles to ''The Stage'' and '' Stagedoor'' and has written for ''The Guardian''. Theatre critic and educator A graduate in drama and English ...

reviewed the production for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', stating it was "never quite as riotously funny as it should be in a production by Michael Fentiman" and "ends up down a dramatic cul-de-sac" A review by David Fargnoli in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

'' thought the play an "amusing, absurdist black comedy that lacks a cutting edge" More positive reviews were written for the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' which thought Fentiman's "brisk" production "achieves moments of tension", and by

Ann Treneman Ann Treneman (born 1956) is an American journalist, currently working for ''The Times'' newspaper in the United Kingdom. Treneman was born in Iowa City, Iowa, but she grew up in McMinnville, Oregon. She has lived in the UK since the mid-1980s. ...

for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', who believed the production was "wild and wacky, outrageously funny, with jokes from the very silly to the subtle and sophisticated" Fentiman directed Orton's ''Loot'' in 2017. His review in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' mentioned that the production "reinstates some of the lines that had been censored by the Lord Chamberlain", and was a "stylish and entertaining revival". Dominic Cavendish in ''The Daily Telegraph'' believed that "Fentiman has not only found the right venue..., he has got the right cast". Clare Brennan in ''The Guardian'' said that "if ever there was a cast to deliver Orton this is it – under Michael Fentiman's direction". Neil Norman in the ''

Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...

'' called Michael Fentiman's production "a masterclass in physical comedy and timing". Michael Billington in ''The Guardian'' gave ''Loot'' a five-star rating, commenting on the way Fentiman referenced the "shock tactics" in Orton's work. Fentiman's 2018 ''The Importance of being Earnest'' was reviewed less favourably by Billington, who wrote: "Michael Fentiman's coarse production robs Wilde of his decorum, swapping subtleties and satire for screaming and sex" and "never allows the words to do their work". A contrary viewpoint was taken by Alun Hood for

WhatsOnStage WhatsOnStage is a UK-based theatre website providing news, reviews, interviews, and a comprehensive listings database of performances across the country. The platform claims to list over 5,000 performances at any given time and also operates a tick ...

who believed the production " hrowsfresh ideas at

he play He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

and "will likely infuriate as many people as it delights" Henry Hitchins in the ''

'' mentions Fentiman's "at times racy interpretation

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

suggests the anarchy seething beneath Wilde's polished witticisms". Paul Taylor in ''The Independent'' said "Does anybody need Wilde's masterpiece to be ‘decoded’ in this heavy-handed, pseudo-radical way?" Holly Williams in '' Time Out'' believed "Fentiman's approach rubbles the structure of an exquisitely formed play." Natasha Tripney in ''

'' thought "Fentiman's pantomimic production does it

a disservice". In October 2022, Fentiman directed

Audrey Brisson Audrey Brisson-Jutras is a French-Canadian actress and acrobat, known as a performer and acrobat for the Cirque du Soleil and for playing Amélie in the UK production of ''Amélie,'' for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award. Early life an ...

in Reading Rep Theatre's production of '' Jekyll & Hyde'', Gary McNair's adaptation of

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's novella for

solo performance A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show, one-woman show, or one-person show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieti ...

. He directed

Forbes Masson Forbes (Robertson) Masson (born 17 August 1963 in Falkirk) is a Scottish actor and writer. He is an Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is best known for his roles in classical theatre, musicals, comedies, and appearances i ...

in the role of

Gabriel John Utterson ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between ...

when the play was staged at the Royal

Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

, in January 2024.''Jekyll & Hyde'' theatre programme, Royal Lyceum Theatre Company Ltd., Edinburgh, January 2024

Awards and nominations

References

External links

"Michael Fentiman

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Retrieved 10 December 2018
Michael Fentiman
at

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. Retrieved 10 December 2018
"'A Day to Masscacre Them All' , Titus Andronicus"
Royal Shakespeare Company video, 11 April 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2018

Michael Fentiman directing ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' at the

Playhouse. Retrieved 10 December 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fentiman, Michael 1982 births Living people English theatre directors People from Harlow Alumni of Bretton Hall College Alumni of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts