Damian Sandys

I am a Theatre Director, experienced in working in new writing, plays, musical theatre, comedy, pantomime, and young people, with productions across the UK, Edinburgh Fringe, the West End and internationally.

I have been Resident / Associate Director for several West End and international tours, ranging from The Kite Runner to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

I also have a lot of experience at working with young people, as Chairman of a youth theatre, as well as working in numerous drama schools, including ArtsEd and LAMDA.

I have assisted Ian Talbot, Nikolai Foster, Matt Ryan, Nicola Samer amongst others, and was nominated as Best Director in the Great British Pantomime Awards.

Credits

Directing credits include: When Midnight Strikes (nominated for Best Musical Production in the Off West End Awards); the London revival of Tick, Tick…Boom! (Union Theatre), the world premiere of Equally (Cockpit Theatre); ten sold-out seasons of the Fringe institution Shakespeare For Breakfast (Winner – Best Comedy, 2017) and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (both Edinburgh Festival and subsequent London transfers); Dickens For Dinner (Winner – Best Comedy, 2018); You Know How To Love Me (The Other Palace); the northern premiere of Soho Cinders (Stanwix Theatre); West Side Story (Theatre Royal, Windsor for Bill Kenwright Ltd); Dick Whittington (Beck Theatre, Winner - Best Pantomime, 2014); Beauty and the Beast (Grand Theatre, Blackpool); Sister Act, Betty Blue Eyes, Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Putney Arts Theatre); six seasons of NewsRevue (Canal Café Theatre); the world premiere of The Poltergeist of Cock Lane (C venues); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (for HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Celebrations); 42nd Street and Honk! (Bridewell Theatre); Evita (The Beck Theatre); Hairspray and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Oratory Theatre); Lia’s Guide To Winning The Lottery (Perfect Pitch); Disney’s Beauty & The Beast (Secombe Theatre); Once Upon A Mattress (Stanwix Theatre); Now That’s What I Call Panto! (The Beck Theatre); The London Revue (Hen and Chickens); Snoopy!!!, Side By Side By Sondheim (Hot Box Productions); Twelve Angry Men and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Ready Ay Ready Productions).

Assistant/Resident credits include: the UK & International tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s Calendar Girls – The Musical (UK & Ireland Tour); The Kite Runner (Playhouse Theatre, London and UK Tour); the national tour of Oklahoma! (UK Productions); Associate/Resident on the UK premiere of Little Women the Musical (LOST Theatre); Mathilde (assisting Simon Callow); Me And My Girl (London Palladium); Legally Blonde (Aberystwyth Arts Centre); Into The Woods (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Denied (Edinburgh Festival); Peter Pan (UK Productions); A Christmas Carol (Coronet Theatre); The Tolstoy Tales (Camden People’s Theatre); Fiddler On The Roof (Cambridge Arts Theatre); Kiss of the Spider Woman (ArtsEd); David Mamet’s The Shawl (Canal Café Theatre); The Railway Children (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane).

I have also worked with the directors on the world premiere of The Witches of Eastwick (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane for Cameron Mackintosh) and Honk! (The Royal National Theatre’s tour). For the last twelve years I have been Associate Director on the annual Whatsonstage Awards Concert (Prince of Wales Theatre & Palace Theatre), specifically devising and directing the performance segments, working with many Olivier award winning actors and actresses.

I was the Company Manager for the 48-hour project of Crazy For You, staged at the London Palladium, The Boy Friend (Her Majesty’s Theatre), Thoroughly Modern Millie and Singin’ in The Rain (both Adelphi Theatre) and the concert version of Little Women: The Musical (Playhouse Theatre).

Training

BA, English Literature & Language - Oxford University
MA, Creative Practice in Musical Theatre - Arts Educational London