Declan Donnellan - Biography

Biography

Donnellan was born in Manchester, England and grew up in Ealing, London. He was educated at St Benedict's School, Ealing and Queens' College, Cambridge, where he read English and Law. After leaving Cambridge, he was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1978.

He founded Cheek by Jowl with Nick Ormerod in 1981. Since 2006 the company has been part of the Barbican's International Theatre Program (BITE) resulting in co-productions of The Changeling (2006), Cymbeline (2007) and Troilus and Cressida (2008).

For the Royal Shakespeare Company he has directed The School for Scandal, King Lear (Academy 2002) and Great Expectations. He has also directed Le Cid for the Avignon Festival, Falstaff for the Salzburg Festival and the ballet of Romeo and Juliet for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Other work in Russia includes The Winter's Tale for the Maly Drama Theatre of Saint Petersburg.

In 2000 he formed a company of actors in Moscow, under the auspices of The Chekhov Festival, whose productions include Boris Godunov, Twelfth Night and Three Sisters.

He wrote a play, Lady Betty, which was performed by Cheek by Jowl in 1989. He has also adapted Don't Fool with Love by Alfred de Musset, Antigone by Sophocles, The Mandate by Nikolai Erdman and Masquerade by Mikhail Lermontov.

First published in Russian in 2001, Donnellan's book, The Actor and the Target, has subsequently been published in English (2002, reprinted 2005), French and Spanish.

Donnellan has won awards in London, Paris, New York and Moscow, including Laurence Olivier Awards for:

• 1987 Best Director for Le Cid, Twelfth Night and Macbeth
• 1989/90 The Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement for Fuenteovejuna
• 1994 Best Director of a Musical for Sweeney Todd
• 1995 Best Director of a Play for As You Like It