Fiona Laird

Fiona Laird is a British theatre, television, and radio director, writer, composer, and lyricist.[1] In 2013, responding to UK cuts in performing arts education, Laird founded the National Youth Theatre Arts Trust.[2]

Biography

Laird grew up in Ely, Cambridgeshire, where her father was an educator and her mother a musician.[3] She attended King's Ely and holds a BA in Philosophy from University College London. She has directed plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, The Old Vic, the Royal Court Theatre, the Welsh National Opera.[1] Notable productions include Stephen Fry's Cinderella at the Old Vic, Oh, What a Lovely War! for the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2018 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.,[4][5][6] for which she also composed much of the music.[7]

In 2009, Laird directed the live television performance of The Turning Point by Michael Dobbs, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as spy Guy Burgess.[8] The production was part of the Sky Arts Theatre Live! Series, which won the Broadcasting Press Guild Best Multichannel Programme Award.[9]

Directing for theatre (selected)
  • Frogs (1996) - The Royal National Theatre (also translator, composer, lyricist)
  • Oh What a Lovely War! (1998) - The Royal National Theatre [5]
  • High Society (2001) - Sheffield Crucible
  • They're Playing Our Song - Menier Chocolate Factory [10]
  • Twenty Men Singing (2007) - for the Welsh National Opera
  • The Wasps (2015) - a new adaptation by Laird from Aristophanes' original play [11]
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor (2018) - Royal Shakespeare Company (also composer) [6]

Directing for cinema and television
  • Musicool (2007) - reality TV musical [12]
  • Theatre Live! (2009) - theatrical production broadcast live [13]
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor (2018) - recording of the 2018 Royal Shakespeare Company theatrical production [14]
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gollark: I'm glad that the clearly highly intelligent author of #11 recognizes the glory of SQLite3.
gollark: I mean, in practical use you'd just do `sorted`, so they somewhat have to be.
gollark: The palaiologosimulator™ as previously described is not very dynamic, an economy, or hyperrealistic.
gollark: It's unrealistic.

References
  1. "Fiona Laird | United Agents". www.unitedagents.co.uk.
  2. "Founder and staff – About". National Youth Arts Trust.
  3. https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/mid-norfolk-mp-george-freeman-proposed-to-fiona-laird-on-christmas-day-1-5839202
  4. Benedict, David; Benedict, David (December 18, 2007). "Cinderella".
  5. Wolf, Matt; Wolf, Matt (September 7, 1998). "Oh What a Lovely War".
  6. "Fiona Laird 2018 production | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk.
  7. "Merry Wives of Windsor plot revenge in Royal Shakespeare Company clip (Exclusive)". September 28, 2018.
  8. "The Turning Point" – via www.imdb.com.
  9. "The Turning Point (2009)" – via letterboxd.com.
  10. "They re Playing Our Song". theaternewsonline.com.
  11. "Wasps". Almeida Theatre.
  12. "Musicool (TV Series 2007– ) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  13. Dowell, Ben (May 26, 2009). "Sky Arts to screen six new plays live" – via www.theguardian.com.
  14. "Royal Shakespeare Company: The Merry Wives of Windsor" – via www.imdb.com.
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