Matthew Warchus

The Yorkshire raised son of a former actor turned vicar, Matthew Warchus was at first considering following in his father's first profession until he discovered a preference for directing while still a college student. Shortly after graduating from the University of Bristol, he created a bit of a stir with his staging of "Sejanus: His Fall," an obscure Ben Jonson play. Warchus then returned to his native area and served two years as associate director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, proving equally effective as a director of plays (e.g., "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?") and musicals (e.g., "Fiddler on the Roof"). In 1992, he made his West End debut as director of "Much Ado About Nothing" and subsequently attracted further attention with his interpretation of Sam Shepard's seminal work "True West" at the Donmar Warehouse in 1994.