SJT announces date for Monks’ arrival
February 17, 2009
Stephen Joseph Theatre has announced that Chris Monks will replace Sir Alan Ayckbourn as its artistic director on 1 April.
The Scarborough theatre has highlighted the fact that much of the Sheffield-born writer and director’s work has been with other theatres in the round to emphasise the suitability of his appointment. Monks has produced at Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange, Orange Tree Theatre in London and Bolton Octagon. Notably, his directorial debut was on Music Hall, at the Bolton Octagon, in 1990.
Monks approached writing and directing from a musical vantage point and is noted for his musical theatre adaptations. His rendering of Don Giovanni for the New Vic last year was particularly well-received, reflected in its receipt of a nomination for Best Musical Production at the Theatrical Management Awards.
After studying woodwinds and jazz composition at Leeds College of Music, Monks joined the Royal Exchange Theatre Company. He went on to compose the scores for over 50 Royal Exchange productions, including The Count of Monte Cristo, Riddley Walker, Oedipus, and Class K, and remains an associate director.
Monks’ successes in the 1980s brought him elsewhere. Contact Theatre’s Trafford Tanzi, whose collection of songs he wrote, eventually reached Broadway as Teaneck Tanzi, starring Debbie Harry and Andy Kaufman. Similarly, as musical director of Liverpool Everyman’s Lennon, Monks journeyed to the West End, New York and Australia.
Although Monks became a freelance director during the 1990s, he developed a strong relationship with the New Vic, and his musical theatre adaptations featured prominently there in the latter half of the decade. This phase of his career began with his revision of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado in 1995, and encompassed Sizwe Banzi is Dead, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, Sweeney Todd, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Billy Liar, Oliver! and On Golden Pond. His more recent writing for the stage has included The Bat (2005), Beauty and the Beast (2003), Trojan Women (2000), Big Nose! (1999, with Kwame Kwei-Armah), Don Giovanni (2008), The Magic Flute (1999) and The Marriage of Figaro (2002).
Monks recently remarked on his long-term ambitions for the SJT under his leadership. “Since my appointment, I’ve been getting to know the SJT,” he stated. “This company has so much potential: an iconic building; dedicated, friendly staff and a national reputation. Few places in the UK have such an asset. I want to contact the people of the borough and the region, particularly those who’ve never been to the SJT and offer them this simple invitation: ‘Come and enjoy our shows.’ You’ll be surprised, because we’ve something for everyone. We’ve cheap tickets and, what’s more, if you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you: your school, your college, your workplace, your local hall. We are going to reach out into the community like never before, and make a difference. We won’t be satisfied until you’ve accepted our invitation.”
-Simon Walker
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