Stephen Unwin is one of the UK's leading theatre and opera directors. He founded English Touring Theatre in 1993 and opened the Rose Theatre Kingston in 2008, becoming Artistic Director until 2014. He has written guides to Shakespeare's and Brecht's plays, as well as to Ibsen, Chekhov, Strindberg, and Twentieth-Century Drama. He is also the author of The Complete Brecht Toolkit and So You Want To Be A Theatre Director? As a writer for the stage, his work includes: Laughing Boy, adapted from Sara Ryan's book Justice for Laughing Boy (Jermyn Street Theatre, London, 2024) and All Our Children (Jermyn Street Theatre, 2017). He is a campaigner for the rights and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and was appointed the Chair of KIDS in November 2016, the national charity providing services to disabled children, young people and their families.
'So You Want to be a Theatre Director does exactly what it says on the cover. It is aimed primarily at the young would-be professional theatre director, though much of it will also be of interest to those working in the amateur sphere. The writing is clear and direct; the chapters are divided into conveniently headed sections... His [Unwin's] book is filled with wise insights. Any budding director who reads it will learn much about the pitfalls and challenges he or she is likely to face but will also, I'm sure, catch some of Unwin's enthusiasm for what he describes as being, at times, 'the best job you can imagine'' * Around the Globe *