Leon Rubin is an international Theatre Director, Theatre Management Consultant, Professor, Writer and Director of the famous East 15 Acting School in the UK. This website is an introduction to his work, present and past.
Short Curriculum Vitae
Leon is former Artistic Director of
three major UK theatres: Bristol Old Vic, Lyric Theatre, Belfast and the Watford Palace Theatre. He began his career as assistant director at the Royal Shakespeare Company, after studying at universities in the UK and Canada. In addition to assisting a number of distinguished UK directors, Trevor Nunn and Terry Hands among others, he was Assistant Director on the multiple award-winning production of Nicholas Nickleby in London and New York. He also wrote a popular book about the making of the production: The Nicholas Nickleby Story. He is also former Head of Drama at Middlesex University, London, former Associate at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin and is at former Director of East 15 Acting School, part of the University of Essex, UK.
In addition to these roles,
he has directed plays for numerous key theatre companies around the world, working with local actors in various languages. He has also conducted Masterclasses, workshops and seminars at theatre companies, conservatoires and universities across worldwide. His work has been in the UK, USA, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, France, China, Spain, Russia, Chile, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia and Greece. At Middlesex University he created and ran a pioneering MA/MFA in International Theatre Directing that drew student directors from over 20 different countries; when he moved to East 15 the programmes travelled with him and are now running there: essex.ac.uk
His work as a director
has involved major theatre companies such as the Abbey Theatre, Stratford Festival Theatre, Canada, Bungaku-za Theatre Company, Tokyo and many others. He directed the longest running show ever produced in S.E.Asia: Phuket Fantasea in Thailand and this show is still running after eighteen years! The show, in a 4000 seat theatre, is an unusual blend of Las Vegas technical effects, traditional Thai performance techniques and styles and aerial circus skills. In recent years he has directed a series of large-scale Shakespeare productions at the Stratford Festival, Ontario, Canada. In Greece and Japan he directed numerous celebrity actors in many different venues over many years. His shows have also been seen in London’s West End and in New York. Most recently he directed Shakespeare’s Cymbeline in Bali, Indonesia and Handan Shakespearian Dream (co-production with the Kunqu Chinese Opera company in Nanjing, China), performed in London.
He has also published diverse works
His new book, Rehearsing Shakespeare, will be published in March 2021 by Routledge and his last book was about Balinese performance, Performance in Bali, co-written with the distinguished Balinese Dalang (master-puppeteer), scholar and dancer I Nyoman Sedana from ISI institute in Bali: www.Routledge.com
More about his other publications can be found inside these web pages.
Leon Rubin 