Ramin Gray (born 11 October 1963) is a theatre director of Iranian (Muslim) and British (Jewish) heritage.

Personal life

Born in London in 1963, Ramin grew up in Oxford, Tehran, New York and Paris before graduating from Christ Church, Oxford with a BA (Hons, 2:1) in Oriental Studies (Persian and Arabic) in 1987. He speaks French, Persian and German and has travelled extensively, especially in the Middle East. He is divorced, has five children, and lives mainly in London.

Career

Ramin began directing professionally in 1988 with a production of John Marston's ''The Malcontent'' at the

Latchmere Theatre Theatre503 is a theatre based at 503 Battersea Park Road in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, above The Latchmere pub. The venue is known for promoting the work of new writers. History The theatre was founded in 1982 as the La ...

in London. In 1990 he was awarded a Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme bursary to

Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actre ...

where he directed Wedekind's '' Spring Awakening'' and Arthur Miller's ''

A View from the Bridge ''A View from the Bridge'' is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was first staged on September 29, 1955, as a one-act verse drama with '' A Memory of Two Mondays'' at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The run was unsuccessful, ...

''. He re-opened the Liverpool Playhouse Studio as a dedicated space for new plays from 1992–95, where he directed

Gregory Motton Gregory Motton (born September 1961) is a British playwright and author. Motton is best known for the originality of his formally demanding, largely a-political theatre plays at the Royal Court in the 1980s and 1990s, state of the nation satire ...

's ''A Message for the Broken-Hearted''. In Paris at Odéon Théâtre National de l'Europe and Théâtre National de Gennevilliers he directed '' Cat And Mouse (Sheep)'' by

. At London's

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...

he directed

Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (; born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author, translator, and playwright. In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable." Fosse's work spans over se ...

's ''The Child'' and Paul Godfrey's ''The Invisible Woman''. From 2000–09 Ramin was at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

, first as International Associate (2000–05), then as Associate Director (2005–09) where he directed over fifteen world or British premieres. In the Theatre Upstairs these included: ''Push Up'' by Roland Schimmelpfennig, ''Terrorism'' by the Presnyakov Brothers, ''Ladybird'' by Vassily Sigarev, ''Way To Heaven'' by Juan Mayorga, ''Woman and Scarecrow'' by Marina Carr, ''Just a Bloke'' by David Watson, and ''Scenes from the Back of Beyond'' by Meredith Oakes. In the Theatre Downstairs he directed

Simon Stephens Simon Stephens (born 6 February 1971) is a British-Irish playwright, musician and Professor of Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University. Having taught on the Young Writers' Programme at the Royal Court Theatre for many years, he is ...

' ''Motortown'',

Max Frisch Max Rudolf Frisch (; 15 May 1911 – 4 April 1991) was a Swiss playwright and novelist. Frisch's works focused on problems of identity (social science), identity, individuality, Moral responsibility, responsibility, morality, and political commi ...

's ''The Arsonists'', Martin Crimp's ''Advice to Iraqi Women'', two plays by

Marius von Mayenburg Marius von Mayenburg (born 21 February 1972 in Munich) is a German playwright and dramaturg. Education In 1994, Mayenburg began his studies at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. His first play, '' Haarmann'', was first performed at Baracke (D ...

, ''The Ugly One'', and ''The Stone'', and ''Over There'' by

Mark Ravenhill Mark Ravenhill (born 7 June 1966) is an English playwright, actor and journalist. Ravenhill is one of the most widely performed playwrights in British theatre of the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His major plays include '' Shoppi ...

(also Schaubűhne, Berlin). Gray's freelance theatre work in the UK includes two plays for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, David Greig's ''The American Pilot'' and

Leo Butler Leo Butler (born 1974 in Sheffield) is a British playwright. His plays have been staged, among others, by the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Almeida Theatre. His plays have been published by Bloomsbury A & C Black.

's ''I'll Be The Devil'', and Alistair Beaton's ''King of Hearts'', which he co-directed with

Max Stafford-Clark Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart "Max" Stafford-Clark (born 17 March 1941) is a British theatre director. Life and career Stafford-Clark was born in Cambridge, the son of David Stafford-Clark, a physician, and Dorothy Crossley (née Oldfield). H ...

for

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

and

Out of Joint Out of Joint is a British and international touring theatre company based in London. It specializes in the commissioning and production of new writing, interspersed with occasional revivals and classic productions. It was founded in 1993 by direct ...

. Internationally, Ramin has directed two plays by

, the German language premiere of ''Harper Regan'' at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

in a co-production with the Schauspielhaus Hamburg and ''On The Shore of the Wide World'' at Volkstheater Wien (Karl-Skraup Prize). His 2010 Viennese production of Dennis Kelly's ''Orphans'' was nominated for the Nestroy Prize. His Russian production of ''The Ugly One'' won Best Director at the Textura Festival, Perm in 2010. From 2011 to 2018 Ramin was Artistic Director of

ATC Theatre Actors Touring Company (ATC) is a touring theatre company based in London, founded in 1978 by Artistic Director John Retallack. Previous Artistic Directors have included Mark Brickman, Ceri Sherlock, Nick Philippou, Gordon Anderson, Bijan Sheib ...

for whom he directed ''The Golden Dragon'' by Roland Schimmelpfennig, which saw 110 performances worldwide including India and Northern Iraq, the first major revival of ''Crave'' by

Sarah Kane Sarah Kane (3 February 1971 – 20 February 1999) was an English playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. She is known for her plays that deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture—both physical and psychological ...

and a new Russian play, ''Illusions'' by

Ivan Vyrypaev Ivan Aleksandrovich Vyrypaev (; ; born August 3, 1974) is a Polish playwright of Russian descent, screenwriter, film director, actor and art director. He is a leading figure in the New Drama movement. Founder and general producer of the private P ...

, and the British premiere of Marius von Mayenburg's ''Martyr.'' Ramin commissioned and directed David Greig's ''The Events'', with music by John Browne, which was voted by critics in

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 ...

as the 'Best Play of 2013'. Co-produced with the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...

, Schauspielhaus Wien and Brageteatret Norway, Gray also directed the Norwegian and Austrian productions of ''The Events''. In 2016/7 Ramin's critically acclaimed production of Aeschylus' ''The Suppliant Women'' opened at the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh and toured the UK, Ireland and Hong Kong. Ramin directed the British premiere of Roland Schimmelpfennig's ''Winter Solstice'' at the Orange Tree in January 2016. In 2009 Ramin directed

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

's ''Death in Venice'' at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, conducted by

Simone Young Simone Margaret Young AM (born 2 March 1961) is an Australian conductor and academic teacher. She is currently chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Biography and career Young was born in Sydney, of Irish ancestry on her father' ...

. The production then transferred to Theater an der Wien, conducted by

Donald Runnicles Sir Donald Cameron Runnicles (born 16 November 1954) is a Scottish conductor, known for his Romantic symphonic and operatic repertoire, especially Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Anton Bruckner. With a career that has spanned ...

. At Hamburg he also directed the European premiere of Brett Dean's ''Bliss'' and, in 2015, the world premiere of Beat Furrer's ''La Bianca Notte''. For the Royal Opera House, he directed the British premiere of Gerald Barry's ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' in 2013. In 2016 the production was revived at the Barbican Centre and Lincoln Center, New York.

External links

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thestage.co.uk
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thisweeklondon.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Ramin 1963 births English theatre directors Living people Theatre people from London