Nicholas Hytner

Hytner was born in the prosperous suburbs of south Manchester in 1956,Andrew Dickson, [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/oct/18/nicholas-hytner-national-theatre-profile "A life in theatre: Nicholas Hytner"], The Guardian, 16 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2012. to barrister Benet Hytner and his wife, Joyce.Paul Harris, [http://www.jewishtelegraph.com/prof_51.html "A Knight At The Theater – But Just Call Him Nick"], Jewish Telegraph . Retrieved 28 October 2012. He is the eldest child of four, and has described his upbringing as being in "a typical Jewish, cultured family".

He attended Manchester Grammar School[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/sep/29/theatre1 "Leader: Stage for the people"], The Guardian, 29 September 2003. Retrieved 29 October 2012.[http://unitedagents.co.uk/nicholas-hytner "Nicholas Hytner"], United Agents. Retrieved 28 October 2012. and went to university at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he studied English. He did some acting while at university, including co-scripting and performing in a televised production of the 1977 Cambridge Footlights Revue. However, Hytner did not consider acting his strong point. "I think I was savvy enough when I went to Cambridge to discover I was a poor actor," he said later. He also did some directing, including a production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.

After leaving Cambridge, Hytner's first "proper paid job" was as assistant to Colin Graham at English National Opera.David Benedict, [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/may/07/artsfeatures1 "What I would do as head of the National"], The Guardian, 7 May 2001. Retrieved 29 October 2012. Some of his earliest professional directing work was in opera, including at Kent Opera, Wexford Festival Opera and a production of Rienzi at English National Opera. His first theatre productions were at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter.[http://www.hoadly.co.uk/html/theatre_singular.htm "Graham Hoadly Presents"]. Retrieved 3 November 2012. He then directed a series of productions at the Leeds Playhouse, including The Ruling Class by Peter Barnes, an adaptation of Tom Jones and a musical version of Alice in Wonderland.Robin Thornber, [http://www.anthonyphillips.co.uk/archives/alice/press.htm "Alice – Press Reviews"], The Guardian, 24 March 1984. Retrieved 3 November 2012. In 1985 he became an Associate Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, a position he retained until 1989.

Hytner was hired by producer Cameron Mackintosh to direct Miss Saigon, the next work from Les Misérables creators Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. "I had seen several of Nick's opera productions – Handel's 'Xerxes' and Mozart's 'Magic Flute' – as well as some of his classical plays, and he has a marvellously visual point of view," Mackintosh said.Hilary de Vries, [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/17/theater/theater-from-the-paris-sewers-to-vietnam-s-streets.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm "Theater; From The Paris Sewers To Vietnam's Streets"], The New York Times , 17 September 1989. Retrieved 3 November 2012. For Hytner, "It just felt like a huge lark... It was gigantic, and I was into gigantic at the time, so I threw everything I knew at it. It was big, honest, moving, brash, kind of crazy. I had no idea that it would take off."

Hytner's London production of Miss Saigon opened on 20 September 1989, and closed on 30 October 1999 after just over ten years, on its 4,274th performance, having grossed more than £150 million in ticket sales during its London run.[http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E480168534/Last+Chance+to+See+Miss+Saigon+%26+Rent.html "Last Chance to See Miss Saigon & Rent"]{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Whatsonstage.com, 28 October 1999. Retrieved 3 November 2012. Hytner also directed the New York production, where the show recouped its $10.9m investment in 39 weeks. The show, at New York's Broadway Theatre, opened on 11 April 1991 and closed on 28 January 2001 after 4,092 performances.[http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=4639 "Miss Saigon"], IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information. Retrieved 3 November 2012.

Hytner was on a percentage for both London and New York productions, allowing him (then aged 34) to never need worry about money again. "It was a huge– a massive stroke of fortune," he said in 2010. "It meant that thereafter I only needed to do what I wanted to do."

What Hytner did was to continue directing theatre and opera, including several productions at London's National Theatre (where he had first directed in 1989 with Ghetto). In 1990, he was appointed an Associate Director of the National by its then-Director Richard Eyre. One of the plays he directed was Alan Bennett's The Madness of George III. When a film adaptation was commissioned, Bennett insisted Hytner should direct it, and the retitled The Madness of King George (1994) became Hytner's film debut.David Gritten, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-08-ca-17652-story.html "Late-Blooming Nigel Hawthorne Enjoys 'Madness' of King-Size Role in Hytner's Film"], Los Angeles Times, 8 January 1995. Retrieved 4 November 2012.

In 1994, Eyre announced he would be leaving the National Theatre in three years' time.[http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/sites/all/libraries/files/documents/update_May10.pdf "National Theatre Update"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115122/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/sites/all/libraries/files/documents/update_May10.pdf |date=26 August 2014 }}, National Theatre, May 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2012. "[It] made me begin to think about the vision that is needed in such a position and the fact that this needs refreshing under every directorate. I very much felt that you had to have a big idea in order to put yourself forward for such a role and as I didn't have this kind of idea at that time, I decided not to apply," Hytner said later. He continued as an Associate Director at the National until 1997, when the new Director, Trevor Nunn, took up his post.

Hytner directed more films: The Crucible (1996) with Daniel Day-Lewis, The Object of My Affection (1998) and Center Stage (2000). The last of these was not an adaptation from a play or novel, having been based on an original screenplay. He also spent 15 months developing a film of the musical Chicago, to star Madonna, but the project foundered and was later made with a different director and cast.Vanessa Thorpe, [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/mar/30/theatre.artsfeatures "Profile: Nicholas Hytner"], The Observer, 30 March 2003. Retrieved 4 November 2012.

When Trevor Nunn announced that he would be leaving the National Theatre, Hytner "really felt that this time I had a strong sense of what the NT should be doing under a new Director. I had a long conversation with Christopher Hogg, then Chairman of the NT Board, and Tom Stoppard about my ideas for the NT's future. These included a redefinition of how it might be possible to use the theatre spaces and opening up the NT to new audiences by lowering prices for some performances." Hytner was successful in his application for the post, and his appointment as Director was announced in September 2001.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1562593.stm "BBC News | Arts | Hytner appointment welcomed"], BBC News, 25 September 2001. Retrieved 3 November 2012. He took over from Nunn in April 2003.[https://archive.today/20121224050307/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/branches/faqs/history-faqs "History FAQs"], National Theatre. Retrieved 3 November 2012.

Hytner's role as Director of the National involves decisions about what plays are staged. "Essentially what I do is produce 20 shows a year here," he stated in one interview. "To produce as opposed to direct, as I generate the ideas, generate the repertoire. What I do is put together the team that are going to stage the repertoire together then stand back and come in at a later stage to see how it's all going." (Hytner does also direct plays himself at the National, and all his theatre work since 2003 has originated there.) But his role is also about the overall direction of the National Theatre as an organisation. "It would be wrong to say that I confine myself only to the repertoire – I don't. I think how we allocate our resources, exactly what we spend money on, is always an artistic decision. I think the amount of attention we give to what goes on in the foyers, what goes on outside, how the building looks at night, the amount of attention we give to our education work and our website are all artistic matters. They all stem from a sense of the artistic direction of the organization."[http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/about-the-national/behind-the-scenes/director-of-the-national-theatre "Director of the National Theatre"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014050613/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/about-the-national/behind-the-scenes/director-of-the-national-theatre |date=14 October 2012 }}, National Theatre. Retrieved 5 November 2012.

Under Hytner's directorship, the National has innovated with Sunday openings, live cinema broadcasts of NT plays around the world, National Theatre Live, and with its reduced price ticket seasons. These seasons, sponsored by Travelex, have offered large numbers of reduced price seats (for £10 when the scheme was introduced in 2003, with prices rising to £12 from 2011).[http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/national-theatre-administration/nt-future "NT Future"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118163905/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/national-theatre-administration/nt-future |date=18 November 2012 }}, National Theatre, October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012. The reduced price seasons were credited with achieving high usage for the Olivier auditorium – between 90% and 100% full during the summer months compared to a historic average of 65%, with no loss in overall income, and with encouraging a younger and more diverse audience. In 2003 it was reported that one third of the audience for the multiracial production of Henry V in modern dress (directed by Hytner) had never been to the theatre before, and that a large section of the audience for the drama Elmina's Kitchen were Black east Londoners new to the National.

Hytner has said that this diversity is a consequence of the theatre's direction rather than the motivation for it. "I think our repertoire is more diverse than it's ever been," he said, "and I think that reflects a more diverse society and a more diverse audience. The aim, though, was not to go out and find a diverse audience but for the repertoire to reflect a greater diversity in our culture." He has also said: "The rep[ertoire] should reflect the world we're part of, and it should put the society in which we live in the context of the past and, as far as we can, of the wider world."

Hytner's latest innovation is NT Future, a £70 million scheme (of which £59 million had been raised at October 2012) to open up the National's building and to contribute to the regeneration of the South Bank, to transform facilities for education and participation, and to keep ahead of new technologies and the changing needs of theatre artists and audiences.

Hytner stated as early as 2010 that he did not wish to stay as head of the National indefinitely, saying, "I've been here seven years. My predecessors have averaged 12. It's important that someone else comes in and shakes it up again so I won't be here in 10 years, that's for sure." In April 2013, he announced that he would step down as Director of the National Theatre at the end of March 2015.{{cite web|title=Nicholas Hytner Announces His Date of Departure from National Theatre|url=http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/about-the-nt/press|publisher=National Theatre|access-date=11 April 2013}}{{cite news|last=Higgins|first=Charlotte|title=Sir Nicholas Hytner to step down as National Theatre artistic director|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/apr/10/sir-nicholas-hytner-national-theatre|access-date=9 August 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=10 April 2013}} In his role as Director of National Theatre, he appeared on the Cultural Exchange as part of the Radio Four programme Front Row, where he chose The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart as his work of art.

Hytner and Nick Starr founded the London Theatre Company opening a new 900-seat adaptable commercial theatre, Bridge Theatre near Tower Bridge in October 2017. Hytner directed the inaugural production of Young Marx followed by productions such as the hit immersive revivals of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in 2018, A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2019 and Guys and Dolls which ran from March 2023 until January 2025.

The London Theatre Company also opened another venue with 59 Productions, The Lightroom in King's Cross, London in February 2023 used for immersive artist-led exhibitions which will also eventually become a theatrical space.{{Cite news |last=Wiegand |first=Chris |date=2024-06-21 |title=Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey to play Richard II on London stage |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/jun/21/jonathan-bailey-richard-ii-nicholas-hytner-bridge-theatre-bridgerton |access-date=2024-06-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

Hytner has worked extensively in opera, with many of his productions achieving critical acclaim and commercial success – his English National Opera staging of The Magic Flute was in repertory for 25 years.[http://www.bsecs.org.uk/Reviews/ReviewDetails.aspx?id=62&type=1 "The Magic Flute at ENO"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826113807/http://www.bsecs.org.uk/Reviews/ReviewDetails.aspx?id=62&type=1 |date=26 August 2014 }}, BSECS, 13 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012. But Hytner has described himself (to an opera-related audience) as "someone who is unimpressed by his own work on the operatic stage".[https://archive.today/20130415134946/http://www.opera-europa.org/view.asp?id=1094 "Opera Europa :: Address by Nicholas Hytner"], Opera Europa. Retrieved 2 November 2012.

Similarly, most of Hytner's films have achieved critical and commercial success, with The Madness of King George winning BAFTA and Evening Standard awards for best British film, but he still sees himself as primarily a theatre practitioner. "I think I'm a theatre director who does other stuff," he has said. "I can't see myself as a film-maker. I love doing opera when ever I've done it, but I always see myself as visiting from the theatre, which is where I belong. The real film-maker thinks with a camera, which is something I just can't do."

Hytner is gay. Although brought up in a Jewish household, Hytner said in 2010, "I'm not a believer, but I do think it is a significant part of my adventure and it fascinates me. I couldn't say I'm a member of the Jewish community or gay community in that I don't seek out either of those communities to hang out with, but it is an important part of who I believe myself to [be]."

Hytner's mother, Joyce Hytner {{postnominals|country=GBR|OBE}}, is a theatrical fundraiser, who has served on the board of many organisations including The Old Vic, the Criterion Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and Historic Royal Palaces.[http://www.artscampaign.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=260%3Ahytner&catid=87&Itemid=54 "Joyce Hytner"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630123220/http://www.artscampaign.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=260%3Ahytner&catid=87&Itemid=54 |date=30 June 2013 }}, National Campaign for the Arts. Retrieved 2 November 2012.[http://www.oldvictheatre.com/about-the-old-vic/ "ABOUT THE OLD VIC"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017202850/http://www.oldvictheatre.com/about-the-old-vic/ |date=17 October 2012 }}. Retrieved 2 November 2012.

As a Director

Hytner is on the Board of Trustees of the Royal Opera House.[http://www.roh.org.uk/about/board-of-trustees "Board of Trustees < About"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024060439/http://www.roh.org.uk/about/board-of-trustees |date=24 October 2012 }}, Royal Opera House. Retrieved 2012-11-04. He is a patron of many organisations including London International Festival of Theatre,[https://www.liftfestival.com/about-us/meet-the-team "Meet The Team"], LIFT. Retrieved 9 August 2016. HighTide Festival Theatre,[http://www.hightide.org.uk/about/patrons "Patrons"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711230648/http://www.hightide.org.uk/about/patrons |date=11 July 2012 }}, HighTide Festival Theatre. Retrieved 4 November 2012. the Shakespeare Schools Festival,{{cite web |url=https://www.shakespeareschools.org/about-us/patrons |title=Shakespeare Schools Foundation Patrons |website=Shakespeare Schools Foundation |publisher=Shakespeare Schools Foundation |access-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-date=11 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211165434/https://www.shakespeareschools.org/about-us/patrons |url-status=dead }} Dance UK,[http://www.danceuk.org/about-us/our-patrons/ "Our Patrons"], Dance UK. Retrieved 3 November 2012. Action for Children's Arts,[http://www.childrensarts.org.uk/who/patrons "Patrons"], Action for Children's Arts. Retrieved 4 November 2012. Pan Intercultural Arts[http://www.pan-arts.net/pages/trustees-and-patrons.html "Trustees and Patrons"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712043312/http://www.pan-arts.net/pages/trustees-and-patrons.html |date=12 July 2015 }}, Pan Arts. Retrieved 4 November 2012. and Prisoners' Penfriends.[http://www.prisonerspenfriends.org/patrons.html "Prisoners' Penfriends"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014100435/http://www.prisonerspenfriends.org/patrons.html |date=14 October 2012 }}, Prisoners' Penfriends. Retrieved 4 November 2012.

He was elected an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in 2005,[http://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/news/archive-detail.asp?ItemID=2256 "Hall Man Receives Knighthood in New Years Honours List 2010"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819184508/http://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/news/archive-detail.asp?ItemID=2256 |date=19 August 2016 }}, Trinity Hall, 4 January 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2012. and was Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Oxford University in 2000–01.

Hytner was knighted in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to drama. In spring 2014, the Royal Northern College of Music announced it was to confer Honorary Membership of the College upon Hytner. In 2014 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Arts.{{Cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/royal-academicians#the-ras|title = Royal Academicians | Royal Academy of Arts}}

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