David Farr (theatre director)
Encyclopedia
David Farr is a writer, theatrical director and Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
.
and educated in Guildford
and the University of Cambridge
(English Literature double first).
in 1991 with Slight Possession starring Rachel Weisz
. His professional directorial debut came at The Gate Theatre
, Notting Hill
under Stephen Daldry
. Farr became Artistic Director of The Gate Theatre at the age of twenty five and had that role form 1995 to 1998. He was also Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic
from 2002 to 2005 and Lyric Hammersmith from 2005 to 2009. In 2009 he joined Royal Shakespeare Company
as Associate Director.
He writes regularly for Spooks
for the BBC and is a film writer, having co-wrote the Joe Wright
film Hanna
, released in 2011.
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
.
Background
Farr was brought up in SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and educated in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
(English Literature double first).
Career
Farr began directing theatre at University and won the Guardian Student Drama Award at the Edinburgh Fringe FestivalEdinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
in 1991 with Slight Possession starring Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
. His professional directorial debut came at The Gate Theatre
Gate Theatre (London)
The Gate Theatre is a London fringe theatre above the Prince Albert pub in Notting Hill Gate, from which it takes its name. It opened in 1979.-External links:*...
, Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
under Stephen Daldry
Stephen Daldry
Stephen David Daldry, CBE is an English theatre and film director and producer, as well as a three-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning director.-Early years:...
. Farr became Artistic Director of The Gate Theatre at the age of twenty five and had that role form 1995 to 1998. He was also Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
from 2002 to 2005 and Lyric Hammersmith from 2005 to 2009. In 2009 he joined Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
as Associate Director.
He writes regularly for Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
for the BBC and is a film writer, having co-wrote the Joe Wright
Joe Wright
Joe Wright is an English film director best known for Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Hanna.-Early life and career:...
film Hanna
Hanna (film)
Hanna is a 2011 European-American action thriller film directed by Joe Wright. The film stars actress Saoirse Ronan as the title character with Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett...
, released in 2011.
Professional productions
- The Boat Plays (The Gate Theatre 1994)
- Powder Her FacePowder Her FacePowder Her Face is a chamber opera in two acts, Op. 14 by the British composer Thomas Adès , with an English libretto by Philip Hensher. The opera is 2 hours 20 minutes long...
, by Thomas AdesThomas AdèsThomas Adès is a British composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:Adès studied piano with Paul Berkowitz and later composition with Robert Saxton at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London...
(Almeida Opera 1995) - The Nativity, by David Farr (Young Vic 2000)
- CoriolanusCoriolanusGaius Marcius Coriolanus was a Roman general who is said to have lived in the 5th century BC. He received his toponymic cognomen "Coriolanus" because of his exceptional valor in a Roman siege of the Volscian city of Corioli. He was then promoted to a general...
, by William Shakespeare (RSC and London Old VicOld VicThe Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
winner critics circle, best lead actor Greg HicksGreg HicksGreg Hicks is an English actor. He completed theatrical training at Rose Bruford College and has been a member of The Royal Shakespeare Company since 1976...
2003) - A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
(Bristol Old Vic, winner best director TMS Awards 2002) - The Odyssey (Bristol Old Vic 2004)
- The UN Inspector, by Gogol, adapted by David Farr starring Michael SheenMichael SheenMichael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
(National Theatre 2005) - TamburlaineTamburlaine (play)Tamburlaine the Great is the name of a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. It is loosely based on the life of the Central Asian emperor, Timur 'the lame'...
, by Christopher Marlowe (The Barbican Centre, London) - Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (play)The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
, by William Shakespeare (RSC and Lyric Hammersmith 2005) - MetamorphosisThe MetamorphosisThe Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It is often cited as one of the seminal works of short fiction of the 20th century and is widely studied in colleges and universities across the western world...
, by Franz KafkaFranz KafkaFranz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
, music by Nick CaveNick CaveNicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
and Warren EllisWarren EllisWarren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
(Lyric Hammersmith 2006) - The Birthday PartyThe Birthday Party (play)The Birthday Party is the first full-length play by Harold Pinter and one of Pinter's best-known and most-frequently performed plays...
, by Harold PinterHarold PinterHarold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
(50th anniversary production, Lyric Hammersmith 2008) - Water, a collaboration with Filter TheatreFilter TheatreFilter Theatre is a British theatre company, specialising in the re-interpretation of class works, such as Three Sisters .-External links:*...
(Lyric Hammsermith 2007) - Spyski, a collaboration with Peepolyskus (Lyric Hammersmith 2008)
- Winters TaleThe Winter's TaleThe Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
, by William Shakespeare (RSC 2010) - King LearKing LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, by William Shakespeare (RSC 2010)
Playwriting
- Elton John's Glasses (Watford Palace Theatre and West End 1996)
- The Danny Crowe Show (Bush Theatre 2002)
- Crime and Punishment in Dalston (Arcola Theatre 2002 and 2003)
- The Queen must Die (National Theatre, 2003)
- Ruckus in the Garden (National Theatre 2007)
- Night of the Soul (Royal Shakespeare Company 2002)
- Metamorphosis (adaptation from Kafka 2006)
Screenwriting
- Spooks (series 4-9)
- HannaHanna (film)Hanna is a 2011 European-American action thriller film directed by Joe Wright. The film stars actress Saoirse Ronan as the title character with Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett...
(dir. Joe WrightJoe WrightJoe Wright is an English film director best known for Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Hanna.-Early life and career:...
) - OutcastsOutcasts (TV series)Outcasts is an eight-part 2011 British television science-fiction drama serial, starring Liam Cunningham, Hermione Norris, Amy Manson, Daniel Mays, Jamie Bamber, Eric Mabius and Ashley Walters. It originally aired on BBC One, and BBC HD.-Plot:...
(episode 6-7).