Philipa 'Pippa' Ann Ailion MBE (born 20 September 1947) is a British Theatrical

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and

Casting Director In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenplay, ...

best known for her contributions to London (West End) theatre. Ailion has worked extensively in the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

and for film and television. She has cast Broadway and European productions, UK and US tours as well as seasons at

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin ...

and Crucible Theatre Sheffield. She has cast over 185 productions with a focus on productions that cast people of varying ethnicities.

Early life

Ailion was born into a theatrical family in Mortlake London in 1947 to Philip Ailion and Pamela Mary Ailion (née Harris). In 1948 the Ailion family moved to Brighton where Philip and Pamela opened The Brighton Theatrical Costumiers. The company continued in Brighton until 1981. Philip was a tailor, cutter and makeup artist. The company served much of South East England including The Brighton Theatre Royal, the

Brighton Hippodrome Brighton Hippodrome is an entertainment venue in the ancient centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has been empty and out of use since 2007, when its use as a bingo hall ceased. From its construction in 1897 it ha ...

and other local professional and amateur productions and films. In

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages. Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton an ...

, Ailion attended Hove County Grammar School and the Brighton and Hove School of Music and Drama. Later she attended Bulmershe College in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

training as a teacher of English and Drama. Her drama tutor was

Annie Castledine Ann "Annie" Castledine (26 February 1939 – 4 June 2016), was a British theatre director, teacher and dramaturg. Described in ''The Guardian'' as "one of the arts world's best-known secrets" who "shaped some of the most influential players in B ...

. After graduating in 1968 Ailion taught drama to school children and university students in Sussex and London before joining the Bowsprit Company of Greenwich Young People's Theatre (GYPT) in 1973 as an actor and teacher. She would later work with the main company as well.

Career

Early Career: Actress and Director

In 1973 Ailion moved to New York when Playwright

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

invited her to work as his assistant on the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of '' The Good Doctor''. Soon thereafter, Ailion met

Emanuel Azenberg Emanuel "Manny" Azenberg (born January 22, 1934) is an American theatre producer and general manager whose professional relationship with playwright Neil Simon spans thirty-three years. Life and career Azenberg was born in The Bronx, the son of Ha ...

and

The Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters ...

. There she worked as a Theatre Consultant giving casting suggestions for theatrical transfers from Broadway to London. In 1975 Ailion returned to the UK where she performed in various productions at the

Northcott Theatre The Northcott Theatre is a theatre situated on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, England. It opened in 1967 and was run until 2010 by the Northcott Theatre Foundation, when the company ceased operating after a p ...

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

before taking a position in the theatre department at

Dartington College of Arts Dartington College of Arts was a specialist arts college located at Dartington Hall in the south-west of England, offering courses at degree and postgraduate level together with an arts research programme. It existed for a period of almost 50 ...

from 1977-1981. In 1981, she became the Assistant Director to Gordon Davidson and Company Manager on the award-winning London transfer of the Broadway play '' Children of a Lesser God''. She later directed the production at the

Market Theatre (Johannesburg) The Market Theatre, based in the downtown bohemian suburb of Newtown in Johannesburg, South Africa, was opened in 1976, operating as an independently, anti-racist theatre during the country's apartheid regime. It was named after a fruit and ve ...

, South Africa,

Olympia Theatre (Dublin) The Olympia Theatre, known for sponsorship and advertising purposes as the 3Olympia Theatre, is a concert hall and theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located on Dame Street. In addition to Irish acts, the venue has played host to many well-known ...

as well as an Australian production. Ailion also directed the UK tour of this show. From 1984-1987, Ailion worked as a freelance

Resident Director {{redirect-distinguish, Head resident, Chief resident A Residence Hall Director is college or university employee generally responsible for the management and daily operations of campus residence halls. While the term Residence Hall Director is the ...

and Company Manager for various West End shows including ''

When We Are Married ''When We Are Married'' is a comedy by the English dramatist, J. B. Priestley, written in 1934. It was first performed in London at the St. Martin's Theatre, London on 11 October 1938, and transferred to the larger Prince's Theatre in March ...

'', ''A Month of Sundays'', ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid- ...

'', and ''An Italian Straw Hat''. In 1987 she joined The

Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal V ...

as Resident Associate Director and Casting Director for

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 1 ...

, working on over a dozen European classics. During that time the theatre garnered five

Olivier awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known ...

for '' The Tempest'' with

Max Von Sydow Max von Sydow ( , ; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...

, ''

Too Clever by Half ''Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man'' (russian: На всякого мудреца довольно простоты; translit. Na vsyakogo mudretsa dovolno prostoty) is a five- act comedy by Aleksandr Ostrovsky.Brockett and Hildy (2003, 3 ...

'' and ''The Liar'' with

Alex Jennings Alex Jennings (born 10 May 1957) is an English actor of the stage and screen, who worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings received three Olivier Awards, winning fo ...

and ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, Th ...

'' with

Patricia Routledge Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge, (; born 17 February 1929) is an English actress, singer and broadcaster. For her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom '' Keeping Up Appearances'' (1990–1995), she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Awar ...

Casting Director and Educator

While at the Old Vic, Ailion also cast the original London production of Stephen Sondheim’s ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

''. This marked a shift in Ailion's career. In 1991, she set up her a casting company: Pippa Ailion Casting through which she worked as a freelance casting director for TV, commercials and theatre both in London and in Dublin, Ireland. In 1994, Ailion joined the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

as Head of Department for their BA Acting course, whilst continuing her freelance TV casting career including the multi award-winning TV movie ''Breaking The Code'' with

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ''King ...

. In 1997 she left her post when she was asked to cast the original London production of ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' and four productions at

. In 1998 she was asked to cast the original London production of Disney's ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, ...

''. From about this time Ailion's primary focus has been on London West End productions.

Personal life

From 1973 to 1978 Ailion's partner was Roger Sell. Roger Sell headed the Theatre Department,

. In 1976, Ailion and Sell had one son, Mark Thomas Sell. Ailion's granddaughter, Olivia Charlotte Sell was born in 2007. In 2008 Ailion married Paul Hale. The couple share a home in

Pevensey Bay Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part o ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

Film and TV credits

* 1993 ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' (TV Movie) (1 episode) * 1995 '' Frankie Starlight'' (Feature Film) * 1996 '' Breaking the Code'' (TV Movie) * 1996 ''Witness Against Hitler'' (TV Movie) * 1998 '' Little White Lies'' (TV Movie) * 2002 ''

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

'' (TV Movie) * 2009 ''The Fairy Queen'' (TV Movie) * 2009 ''

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise theatrical performances such as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is p ...

'' (TV Movie) (1 episode) * 2009 '' Chess in Concert'' * 2014 '' Billy Elliot Live'' * 2015 '' Gypsy: Live from the Savoy Theatre'' (TV Movie) * 2019 '' Rocketman'' (Feature Film) (*Dancer casting)

West End Theatre credits

* 1988/89 ''

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; grc, Ἀνδρομάχη, ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means 'man battler ...

'' (

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

) * 1988/89 ''Bussy D’Ambois'' (

) * 1988/89 ''

'' (

) * 1988/89 ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'' (

) * 1988/89 '' One Way Pendulum'' (

) * 1988/89 ''

The Tutor ''The Tutor'' (german: Der Hofmeister, oder Vorteile der Privaterziehung) is an 18th-century German play by Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz. It has the subtitle "Or The Benefits of a Private Education". In the 20th century, it was adapted into a ...

'' (

) * 1989/90 ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has ...

'' (

) * 1989/90 ''

A Flea in Her Ear ''A Flea in Her Ear'' (french: La Puce à l'oreille) is a play by Georges Feydeau written in 1907, at the height of the Belle Époque. The author called it a vaudeville, but in Anglophone countries, where it is the most popular of Feydeau's play ...

'' (

) * 1989/90 '' Marya'' (

) * 1992 '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

) * 1993 ''

Into The Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' ( Phoenix Theatre) * 1993 '' Hair'' (

) * 1997 '' The Magistrate'' (

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pal ...

) * 1997-99 ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine T ...

'' (

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following year ...

) * 1998-99 ''

'' (

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was d ...

) * 1999 ''

The Prisoner of Second Avenue ''The Prisoner of Second Avenue'' is a 1975 American black comedy film directed and produced by Melvin Frank and starring Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft. The film was adapted from the 1971 play by Neil Simon. Plot The story revolves around the e ...

'' (

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

) * 1999–present ''

'' (

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the ...

) * 2002-14 ''

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at numb ...

'' (

) * 2005 ''

Acorn Antiques the Musical ''Acorn Antiques: The Musical!'' is a musical about an antiques dealer, based on the parodic soap opera of the same name by Victoria Wood. It premiered in the West End in 2005, and starred Julie Walters and Celia Imrie. The musical won the Ol ...

'' ( Haymarket) * 2005-07 ''

Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in 1987. It was purchased in July 2017 by the Canadian company Cirque du Soleil. Blue Man Group is known for its stage productions, which incorporate many kinds of music and art, b ...

'' (

New London New London may refer to: Places United States * New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut * New London, Indiana * New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland * New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England tow ...

) and worldwide 2005-14 * 2005-16 ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy w ...

'' (

Victoria Palace The Victoria Palace () is a government building on the large Victory Square () in Bucharest, housing the Prime Minister of Romania and his cabinet. The Victory Palace was designed in 1937 to house the Foreign Ministry, and nearly complete in 19 ...

) * 2006 ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy'', its ...

'' (

) * 2006-19 ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' (

Apollo Victoria The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre on Wilton Road in the Westminster district of London, across from London Victoria Station. (The theatre also has an entrance on Vauxhall Bridge Road.) Opened in 1930 as a cinema and variety th ...

) * 2007 ''

The Drowsy Chaperone ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' is a Canadian musical with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. The story concerns a middle-aged, asocial musical theater fan who, feeling "blue", decides to pl ...

'' (

Novello Theatre The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster. It was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. History The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of The Waldo ...

) * 2008 '' Marguerite'' (

) * 2009 '' Spring Awakening'' (

) * 2009-12 ''

Legally Blonde ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith from Amanda Brown's 2001 novel of the same name. It stars Reese Wit ...

(

) * 2009 and 2012 '' The Fairy Queen'' * 2010 ''

Love Story Love Story or A Love Story may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres * Romance (love) ** Romance film ** Romance novel Films * ''Love Story'' (1925 film), German silent film * ''Love Story'' (1942 film), Italian drama film * ''Love ...

'' (

Duchess Theatre The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 sea ...

) * 2010-11 '' Fela!'' ( National Theatre) and US Tour (2011-2014) * 2011-12 ''

Million Dollar Quartet "Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session ...

'' (

Noel Coward Theatre Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city * Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community *1563 Noël, an asteroid * Mount Noel, Briti ...

) * 2012 ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'' (

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

) * 2012 ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-sta ...

'' (

) * 2013-14 ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American drama romance war film directed by Fred Zinnemann, and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three U.S. ...

'' (

) * 2013-17 ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was originally ...

'' ( Drury Lane) * 2013–present ''

The Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

'' (

) * 2014 ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel ''7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ch ...

'' (

) * 2014 ''

Here Lies Love ''Here Lies Love'' is a concept album and rock musical made in collaboration between David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos along with the woman who raised her—Estrella Cumpas—a ...

'' ( National Theatre) * 2014-15 '' Memphis'' (

) * 2015 ''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with si ...

'' (

) * 2015-16 ''

Bend It Like Beckham ''Bend It Like Beckham'' (also known as ''Kick It Like Beckham'') is a 2002 sports comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay by Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, and Guljit Bindra. The film stars Parminder Nagra, Keira Kni ...

'' ( Phoenix Theatre) * 2016 '' The Go Between'' (

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

) * 2016 '' Funny Girl'' (

) * 2016 ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and als ...

'' (

), ( Phoenix Theatre) * 2016-17 ''

Sunny Afternoon "Sunny Afternoon" is a song by the Kinks, written by chief songwriter Ray Davies. The track later featured on the '' Face to Face'' album as well as being the title track for their 1967 compilation album. Like its contemporary "Taxman" by the B ...

'' (Harold Pinter Theatre) * 2016-19 ''Dreamgirls (musical), Dreamgirls'' (

) * 2016-19 ''Motown (musical), Motown'' (

) * 2017 ''Wind in the Willows (musical), Wind in the Willows'' (London Palladium) * 2018 ''Twelfth Night (play), Twelfth Night'' (Young Vic) * 2018–present ''Tina (musical), Tina - The Tina Turner Musical'' (Aldwych Theatre) * 2019 ''On Your Feet!, On Your Feet'' (London Coliseum) * 2019–present ''Come From Away'' ( Phoenix Theatre) * 2020 ''Beauty and Beast'' (UK Tour) * 2020 ''Get Up Stand Up'' (Lyric Theatre, London, Lyric Theatre) * 2020 ''Dreamgirls'' (UK tour) * 2021-22 '' Spring Awakening'' (Almeida Theatre) * 2022 ''Moulin Rouge! (musical), Moulin Rouge'' (Piccadilly Theatre)

Awards, accolades and achievements

* In 2020 Ailion was awarded the Casting Director Award for "Best Musical" for ''Come from Away'' * In 2018 Ailion was awarded the MBE for services to Theatre and Diversity in the Arts and was listed in the 2018 New Year Honours, 2018 New Years Honors Roll. * In 2018 Ailion was named a patron of the Urdang Academy. * In 2017 Ailion was listed by ''The Stage'' as one of London's 100 most influential power players in its "Theatre’s Power List 2017". * From 2010 to 2017 Ailion served as a Trustee of the Regents Park Open Air Theatre. * In 2009 Ailion was made a Companion at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts * Ailion is a member of the Casting Directors Guild of Great Britain * Ailion is listed in ''Who's Who''.

References

External links

* the Internet Movie Database
Pippa Ailion on IBDb.com
the Internet Broadway Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Ailion, Pippa 1947 births British theatre directors British casting directors Women casting directors Living people Women theatre directors People from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames People from Pevensey