George Stiles
Encyclopedia
George William Stiles
is an English
composer of musicals for stage and screen.
, in Norfolk
.
George Stiles also went to Exeter University.
, Stiles has written four shows (see below) and also contributed to Mary Poppins
. Frost at Midnight, Dave, A Private Function and Soho Cinders are all in development, many of which were showcased at Her Majesty's Theatre
In London on 6 July 2008.
was produced by Cameron Mackintosh
at the Watermill
and Tricycle Theatres in the UK and at the Goodspeed Opera House and North Shore Music Theatre
in the United States
. It won the 1985 Vivian Ellis Prize, and Steven Spielberg
secured an option to turn it into a feature animation.
was commissioned by the Watermill Theatre
(1993), and was developed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre (1997) and London's Royal National Theatre
(1999). It won three Best Musical awards - the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award, the FNB VITA Award in South Africa
, and the Elliot Norton Award in the United States
. The National Theatre production toured the UK in 2001. It is frequently produced by schools and community theatre groups.
premiered at the Ny Theater
, Copenhagen
. In Denmark
it won both Best Song and the Orchestra Award at the 1996 International Musical of the Year. In 2001, it was performed at the Royal Festival Hall
, starring the late John Thaw
accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra
. The BBC
broadcast the concert on New Year's Eve
2001. In 2007, the show was given it's British theatrical premiere in a fully fledged production at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre
as directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. In the summer of 2011, it made its American Premiere at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The production will make its Canadian Premier with the St. Albert Children's Theatre in St. Albert, Alberta
in November 2011.
, Tom Jones (performed at the Theatre Royal, York) and The Three Musketeers (Stadttheater, St Gallen, Switzerland
), premiered in the US at the American Musical Theatre of San Jose
. He and Anthony Drewe have written five musicals together, most recently the new songs, additional music and lyrics, vocal and dance arrangements for the Disney/Cameron Mackintosh production of Mary Poppins. Their other shows include Tutankhamun; Just So; Honk! (seen Watermill Theatre, Stephen Joseph Theatre and Royal National Theatre and in over 2000 productions worldwide), winner of three Best Musical awards - the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award the FNB VITA Award in South Africa, and the Elliot Norton Award in the US); and Peter Pan (Det Ny Theater, Copenhagen, and the Royal Festival Hall) which won Best Song and the Orchestras Award at the 1996 International Musical of the Year in Denmark. They have also written two revues and contributed songs to a variety of theatre, TV, and radio shows, including the RSC's Shakespeare Revue, The Challenge, and Dame Edna's Look At Me When I'm Talking To You. Stiles and Drewe's next project is Soho Cinders, and together they are founder board members of MMD, a charity promoting new writing for the musical theatre. Independently, George is the composer of Moll Flanders (winner of Best Musical in the 1995 TMA Awards), Tom Jones (Theatre Royal, York, North Shore Music Theatre, NYMF New York) and, most recently, The Three Musketeers (Stadttheater, St. Gallen, Switzerland, American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). George's other recent projects include the score for Sam Mendes's productions of Habeas Corpus, Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse and working as Dame Edna's musical director and arranger.
's Shakespeare Revue, The Challenge, and Dame Edna Everage
's Look at Me When I'm Talking to You.
http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/george_stiles/
is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer of musicals for stage and screen.
Education
From 1974 to 1979, he was educated at Gresham's SchoolGresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.
George Stiles also went to Exeter University.
Collaboration with Anthony Drewe
With Anthony DreweAnthony Drewe
Anthony Drewe is a British lyricist and book writer for Broadway and West End musicals. He is best known for his collaborations with George Stiles.-Work with George Stiles:*additional songs for the musical Mary Poppins*Tutankhamun*Honk!...
, Stiles has written four shows (see below) and also contributed to Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (musical)
Mary Poppins is a Walt Disney Theatrical musical based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the Disney 1964 film. The West End production opened in December 2004 and received two Olivier Awards, one for Best Actress in a Musical and the other for Best Theatre...
. Frost at Midnight, Dave, A Private Function and Soho Cinders are all in development, many of which were showcased at Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
In London on 6 July 2008.
Just So
Just SoJust So (musical)
Just So is a musical by Anthony Drewe and George Stiles written in 1984 based on theJust So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Just So was produced by Cameron Mackintosh at the Watermill Theatre and Tricycle Theatre in England, as well as at the Goodspeed Opera House and North Shore Music Theatre in the...
was produced by Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
at the Watermill
Watermill Theatre
The Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England...
and Tricycle Theatres in the UK and at the Goodspeed Opera House and North Shore Music Theatre
North Shore Music Theatre
North Shore Music Theatre is the largest operating regional theater in New England. It is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and is one of the few remaining theatre-in-the-round stages left in the United States.-History:...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It won the 1985 Vivian Ellis Prize, and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
secured an option to turn it into a feature animation.
Honk!
Honk!Honk!
Honk! is a musical adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Ugly Duckling, incorporating a message of tolerance. The book and lyrics are by Anthony Drewe and music is by George Stiles...
was commissioned by the Watermill Theatre
Watermill Theatre
The Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England...
(1993), and was developed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre (1997) and London's Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
(1999). It won three Best Musical awards - the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award, the FNB VITA Award in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and the Elliot Norton Award in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The National Theatre production toured the UK in 2001. It is frequently produced by schools and community theatre groups.
Peter Pan
Peter Pan: A Musical AdventurePeter Pan: A Musical Adventure
Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure is a musical based on J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, with a book by Willis Hall and music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The show opened in Copenhagen in 1996. The production was first broadcast in 2001 as a New Year's...
premiered at the Ny Theater
Det Ny Theater
Det Ny Teater is an established theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, first opened in 1908. It is based in a building which spans a passage between Vesterbrogade and Gammel Kongevej in Copenhagen's theatre district on the border between Vesterbro and Frederiksberg....
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. In Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
it won both Best Song and the Orchestra Award at the 1996 International Musical of the Year. In 2001, it was performed at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
, starring the late John Thaw
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra
BBC Concert Orchestra
The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra....
. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
broadcast the concert on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
2001. In 2007, the show was given it's British theatrical premiere in a fully fledged production at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre is a theatre and theatre company based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England...
as directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. In the summer of 2011, it made its American Premiere at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The production will make its Canadian Premier with the St. Albert Children's Theatre in St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert is a suburban city in Alberta, located northwest of Edmonton, on the Sturgeon River. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second largest city in the Edmonton area. St...
in November 2011.
Outside Stiles & Drewe
Stiles is the composer of Moll Flanders, which won the Best Musical award in the 1995 TMA AwardsTMA Awards
The TMA Awards, established in 1991, are presented annually by the Theatrical Management Association in recognition of creative excellence and outstanding work in United Kingdom theatres...
, Tom Jones (performed at the Theatre Royal, York) and The Three Musketeers (Stadttheater, St Gallen, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
), premiered in the US at the American Musical Theatre of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. He and Anthony Drewe have written five musicals together, most recently the new songs, additional music and lyrics, vocal and dance arrangements for the Disney/Cameron Mackintosh production of Mary Poppins. Their other shows include Tutankhamun; Just So; Honk! (seen Watermill Theatre, Stephen Joseph Theatre and Royal National Theatre and in over 2000 productions worldwide), winner of three Best Musical awards - the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award the FNB VITA Award in South Africa, and the Elliot Norton Award in the US); and Peter Pan (Det Ny Theater, Copenhagen, and the Royal Festival Hall) which won Best Song and the Orchestras Award at the 1996 International Musical of the Year in Denmark. They have also written two revues and contributed songs to a variety of theatre, TV, and radio shows, including the RSC's Shakespeare Revue, The Challenge, and Dame Edna's Look At Me When I'm Talking To You. Stiles and Drewe's next project is Soho Cinders, and together they are founder board members of MMD, a charity promoting new writing for the musical theatre. Independently, George is the composer of Moll Flanders (winner of Best Musical in the 1995 TMA Awards), Tom Jones (Theatre Royal, York, North Shore Music Theatre, NYMF New York) and, most recently, The Three Musketeers (Stadttheater, St. Gallen, Switzerland, American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). George's other recent projects include the score for Sam Mendes's productions of Habeas Corpus, Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse and working as Dame Edna's musical director and arranger.
Other
Stiles and Drewe are founder members of The Mercury Workshop (now known as MMD) and have also written other revues and songs for theatre, TV, and radio, including the RSCRoyal 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...
's Shakespeare Revue, The Challenge, and Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favorite flower, the gladiola and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna,...
's Look at Me When I'm Talking to You.
Awards
Stiles is the composer of Moll Flanders, which won the Best Musical award in the 1995 TMA AwardsSources
- Stiles & Drewe
- MusicalTalk Podcast interview with Stiles and Drewe
- MusicalTalk Podcast episode discussing, with Stiles and Drewe, the art of pantomime.
- MMD (formerly the Mercury Workshop)
http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/george_stiles/