Hugh Wooldridge
Hugh Wooldridge | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
Occupation(s) | Theatre director, theatre and television producer and writer, and stage lighting designer |
Parents |
|
Relatives | Susan Wooldridge (sister) |
Hugh Wooldridge is an English theatre director, theatre and television producer and writer, and stage lighting designer. Wooldridge was born in Amersham, Bucks, the son of British composer John Wooldridge[1] and actress Margaretta Scott.[2] He is the brother of actress Susan Wooldridge. Wooldridge currently specialises in large productions, often at the Royal Albert Hall, London. He also teaches, gives master-classes and runs workshops.[3][4]
Early career
After attending Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, Wooldridge trained at the
During the next ten years Wooldridge ran his own multi-media company, The Jolly Good Production Company (JGPC), which produced plays and TV programmes, managed artistes and published books. During this time he was also responsible for music programmes and programming in the ITV network in the south and south east of England. He also directed international tours of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Show, as well as national tours of plays by Noël Coward, Daphne du Maurier and Dylan Thomas.[6]
Credits
Each year since 1999 Wooldridge has produced, devised and directed The Night of 1000 Voices at the Royal Albert Hall. The production has featured amongst others
- 1995: Devised and directed A Gala Concert for Hal Prince at the Gasteig in Munich[8]
- 1996: Devised and directed the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater celebrating Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
- 1996: Devised and directed Who Could Ask for Anything More?, the centenary celebration of Ira Gershwin, at the Royal Albert Hall[9][10]
- 1997: Directed with Trevor Nunn The Golden Anniversary – a private event celebrating the Golden Wedding Anniversary of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh (Royal Festival Hall)
- 1999: Devised and directed Sondheim Tonight in New York and London[9]
- 2007: Devised and directed Kander & Ebb - Night Of 1000 Voices at the Royal Albert Hall, London, 6 May 2007.[11]
- 2008: Adapted and directed Chess in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall with Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Marti Pellow, Kerry Ellis and Clarke Peters, introduced by Tim Rice
- 2009: Directed the Christmas shows of the UK vocal group St. John's, Smith Square
Productions at the Royal Albert Hall:
- 2011: Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, Winner of WhatsOnStage.com Best Solo Performance; also devised and directed
- 2011: The Wonderful World of Captain Beaky and His Band, (featuring the words of Unicef; also devised and directed
- 2012: The Night of 1000 Voices celebrating The Music of the Knights introduced by Hugh Bonneville (with Brent Barrett, Daniel Boys, Kerry Ellis, Yngve Gasoy Romdal, Bonnie Langford, Peter Polycarpou, Clive Rowe, Sally Ann Triplett and others); also devised and directed
- 2012: Seasons of Love, for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, celebrating the real-life Calendar Girls. (featuring Tim Firth, Willy Russell, John Alderton, Celia Imrie, Patricia Hodge, Sue Holderness, Janie Dee, Stephen Tompkinson, Lesley Joseph, Christopher Timothy, Julie Walters amongst others); also devised and directed[12]
- 2013: The Night of 1000 Stars celebrating Harold 'Hal' Prince with Len Cariou; also devised and directed
Between 2010 and 2012 Hugh Wooldridge directed three tours of the play The Haunting, based on stories by Charles Dickens, for Bill Kenwright Ltd.[13]
In 2011/2 Hugh Wooldridge was the Beatrice Carr and Ray Wallace Visiting Professor at A. Max Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma, where he directed the revival of his 1989 production, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.[4]
In 2013/4 he directed the European and US production of BelCanto produced by Luigi Caiola in conjunction with the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, Italy. First seen at the New York City Center in November 2013 and subsequently in Naples, Rome and Paris and European Tour.
In 2016, he directed a production of Twist of Lemmon at
In 2018, along with his international masterclass and teaching commitments, Hugh Wooldridge directed Play on Words – a celebration of
In 2019, Hugh Wooldridge produced and directed The Best of Rock Musicals, hosted by
During the pandemic of 2020, he produced and directed 28 short films about Osteopathy – Discovering Osteopathy with Barrie Savory, and a season of new play readings, presented live and streamed globally from the Riverside Studios in London – Riverside Reads.[17]
Hugh Wooldridge has written a play with music with Nicholas Bromley about a girl band, Heads Up!
References
- ^ "JOHN WOOLDRIDGE – June 2005 MusicWeb-International". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "Obituary: Margaretta Scott". The Independent.
- ^ (27 Aug 2021). West End Masterclass with Kerry Ellis. Cranleigh Arts.
- ^ a b "Hugh Wooldridge". Hugh Wooldridge. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Hugh Wooldridge. London Box Office.
- ^ Riverside Studios announces ‘Riverside Reads’. Theatre News
- ^ (January 31, 2002). Night of 1000 Voices Set for May in London. Playbill.
- ^ "A Gala Concert for Hal Prince". First Night Records. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Concert Hall". David Firman. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Staff writer. "Who Could Ask for Anything More? A Celebration of Ira Gershwin (1997)". Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ (6 May 2007). The Night of 1000 Voices 2007. Royal Albert Hall. London.
- ^ "Seasons of Love: A Celebration of the Calendar Girls". Royal Albert Hall. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "Bill Kenwright Ltd presents The Haunting". Bill Kenwright. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "Twist of Lemon". Love London Love Culture. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "Hal Cazlet stars in PLAY ON WORDS Live at Zedel". Broadway World. Broadway World UK. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "Jesus Christ Superstar". Teatro Astra 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "Riverside Reads". Theatre News. Theatre News 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2021.