STEPHEN WHITSON

THEATRE & FILM DIRECTOR

Stephen Whitson holding a mictophone

Directing is the art of creating structure so that chaos can ignite in front of an audience’s eyes, flawlessly, every time.

Stephen has directed productions in London, the UK and Ireland, and been the Associate Director on West End, Touring and Regional productions. He is currently the Associate Director for the West End production of Hamilton and directed the UK & Ireland Tour for Thomas Kail, the original director.

Highlights include directing West Side Story for the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival, the Irish premieres of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together (both at The Lyric Theatre, Belfast) and developing and directing the World Premiere of J.B. Priestley's Benighted in London for which he was nominated Best Director at the Off West End Awards. His production of new play You Forgot The Mince was supported by the Arts Council to present performances in prisons throughout the UK as part of a strong commitment to community development.

In 2022-23 Stephen was the Artistic & Executive Director of the Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham – a theatre for emerging artists.

He is an Ambassador for Kidz R Us Youth Theatre at the St. Ives Theatre, Cornwall.

Projects as Director…

  • The Diary of a CEO

    The Diary of a CEO Live

    Director
    London Palladium & UK Tour

    Photo: © Pamela Raith
    featuring Steven Bartlett, The House Gospel Choir

  • Dan & Phil running through a crowd at the 7,100 seat LA Phoenix Theatre

    Terrible Influence

    Director
    Peacock Theatre, Los Angeles

    Photo: © Ben Zucker
    featuring Dan Howell, Phil Lester

  • Fra Fee and Amy Lennox in a promotional photo for Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years

    The Last Five Years

    Director
    The Lyric Theatre, Belfast
    Irish Premiere

    Photo featuring Fra Fee (Jamie), Amy Lennox (Cathy)

  • A man and woman lie on a mattress on the floor in a cage in a production of You Forgot The Mince by Francesca Joy

    You Forgot The Mince

    Director
    UK Tour

    Photo: © Chris Gardner

  • Silhouette of a guitarist in a green-lit concert setting with audience and stage backdrop.

    Return To The Forbidden Planet

    Director
    SWG3, Glasgow

  • Group of people in vintage attire holding candle in foggy atmosphere

    Benighted by J.B. Priestley

    Director
    World Premiere
    London

    Photo: © Chris Gardner

  • Woman sitting on a disheveled bed in a dimly lit room with peeling floral wallpaper.

    Cross Purpose by Albert Camus

    Director
    London

    Photo: © Chris Gardner
    featuring Kemi-Bo Jacobs (Maria)

  • A picture of an actor playing Coalhouse Walker with newspapers in the background from the musical Ragtime

    Ragtime

    Director
    The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre, London

    Photo: © Robert Hamilton
    featuring Akmed Junior Khemalai (Coalhouse)

  • Eden Espinosa as Anita with the John Wilson Orchestra in West Side Story at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms

    West Side Story

    Director
    Royal Albert Hall, BBC Proms
    Edinburgh International Festival

    Photo: © Chris Christodoulou
    featuring Eden Espinosa (Anita), John Wilson & Orchestra

  • "it was the unstoppable energy and incendiary passion of the frenetic cast that really set the evening ablaze"

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
    The Scotsman

    WEST SIDE STORY
    Edinburgh International Festival

  • "there were so many people dancing that the floor beneath my feet was actually shaking... I wonder if this is what it was like to go to a Beatles concert in the 1960s"

    ★ ★ ★ ★
    Broadway World

    TERRIBLE INFLUENCE
    The London Palladium

  • "a stylish take on Jason Robert Brown’s intricate musical"

    ★ ★ ★ ★
    The Irish TImes

    THE LAST FIVE YEARS
    The Lyric Theatre, Belfast

  • "Passionate performances and slick staging elevate this story of domestic abuse"

    ★ ★ ★ ★
    The Stage

    YOU FORGOT THE MINCE
    UK TOUR

  • "the performance, given by the John Wilson Orchestra and a terrific cast was a stunner"

    ★ ★ ★ ★
    The Guardian

    WEST SIDE STORY
    BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall

  • "a production distinguished by the nuanced performances of Fra Fee and Amy Lennox and by the fingertip sensitivity of Whitson’s direction"

    ★ ★ ★ ★
    Musical Theatre Review

    THE LAST FIVE YEARS
    The Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Projects as Associate Director…

  • Hamilton

    Hamilton

    Associate Director (dir. Thomas Kail)

    West End (Victoria Palace Theatre, London) 2016-2025
    UK & Ireland Tour 2023-2025

  • Moulin Rouge! The Musical stage with performers in ornate costumes and red lighting.

    Moulin Rouge

    Associate Director (dir. Alex Timbers)

    Broadway 2019
    West End (Piccadilly Theatre, London) 2019-2023
    Köln, Germany 2022

  • Double Feature Logo featuring Alfred Hitchcock, Tippi Hedren, Vincent Price, Michael Reeves

    Double Feature by John Logan

    World Premiere
    Associate Director (dir. Jonathan Kent)

    Hampstead Theatre, London 2024

  • 42nd Street Logo with Peggy Sawyer in the middle of the 4 and 2, with 50 chorus dancers surrounding her

    42nd Street

    Associate DIrector (dir. Mark Bramble)

    West End (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane) 2017-2019

  • Poster for 'From Here to Eternity' musical featuring a man with boxing gloves and a woman in a floral dress, with text 'Gritty and Sexy'.

    From Here To Eternity

    Associate Director (dir. Tamara Harvey)

    West End (Shaftesbury Theatre, London) 2013-2014

  • Barnum musical logo

    Barnum

    Associate Director (dir. Tim Sheader/Jean-Pierre van der Spuy)

    UK & Ireland Tour 2015-2016

Stephen is also an experienced acting & performance coach, and public speaking mentor…

“Stephen’s coaching didn’t just refine my speaking — it revolutionised it… the game-changer you need."

STEVEN BARTLETT

Got an audition? Want to work on some new material? Facing an audience for the first time? Are you stuck in your career and need some advice…?