Notable LGBTQ Artistic Directors in the Arts and Entertainment World
The role of an Artistic Director is to develop an arts organization's identity and presence around a created theme and identity. They use their creativity to curate the organization's performance schedule to include existing and original works, then commission other experts such as choreographers, directors and composers to bring the performances to the audience. Artistic Directors are also key decision makers in the hiring process for performers. Working with the marketing and promotion arm, the success of the arts organization can depend greatly on the quality and creativity of the season's performance schedule.
It is no surprise that many prominent Artistic Directors hail from the LGBTQ community. These individuals are highly qualified practitioners of their art, such as ballet dancers or theatre actors.
Notable LGBTQ Artistic Directors come from the fields of ballet, traditional and contemporary dance, film festivals, arts festivals, theatre, video production, and collective arts organizations. Many of these are community or regional organizations, but many are also internationally recognized organizations such as national ballet and opera companies or arts festivals.
We have identified the following prominent LGBTQ Artistic Directors. Simply click on their names to read their fascinating biographies.
Argentina
- Julio Bocca, Ballet Argentino
- Jorge Donn, Ballet of the 20th Century
Australia
- Neil Armfield, Company B
- Robert Helpmann, Adelaide Festival of Arts
Canada
- Reid Anderson, National Ballet of Canada, Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet British Columbia
- Michel Marc Bouchard, Trillium Theatre
- Noah Cowan, TIFF Bell Lightbox
- Rene-Richard Cyr, Theatre PAP, Just for Laughs Festival, Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui
- Sara Diamond, Banff Centre
- Sky Gilbert, The Hammertheatre Company
- Brendan Healy, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
- John Herbert, several theatre companies
- Tomson Highway, Native Earth Performing Arts
- John Hirsch, Stratford Shakespeare Festival
- SD Holman, Queer Arts Festival
- James Kudelka, National Ballet of Canada
- Andrew Kushnir, Project Humanity
- Robert Lepage, National Arts Centre, Ex Machina
- Evalyn Parry, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
- Andria Wilson, Creative Nova Scotia Awards
Cuba
- Eduardo Machado, INTAR Theater
Denmark
- Erik Bruhn, National Ballet of Canada
Finland
- Jorma Uotinen, Helsinki City Theatre, Finnish National Ballet, Kuopio Dance Festival
France
- Patrice Chereau, Public-Theatre
- Thomas Jolly, Le Quai Centre dramatique national Angers Pays de la Loire, and La Piccola Familia
Germany
- Jorn Weisbrodt, ALLARTS, Luminato Festival, Berlin State Opera
Ghana
- Tawiah M'carthy, TheNextEdition
Great Britain
- Neil Vivian Bartlett, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith
- Rikki Beadle-Blair, Team Angelica
- Michael Benthall, Old Vic Theatre
- Topher Campbell, Red Room Film and Theatre Company
- Gregory Doran, Royal Shakespeare Company
- Peter Gill, Riverside Studios
- Michael Grandage, Michael Grandage Company, Donmar Warehouse
- Drew McConie, The McConie Company
- Robert Medley, Group Theatre
- Roger Rees, Williamstown Theatre Festival
- Christopher Wheeldon, Royal Ballet
Israel
- Jason Danino-Holt, HABAIT Theatre Tel Aviv
- Yair Hochner, TLVFest
Italy
- Sylvano Bussotti, La Fenice
Mexico
- Tanya Saracho, Teatro Luna
New Zealand
- Alexander Grant, National Ballet of Canada
Russia
- Serge Lifar, Paris Opera
Singapore
- Ivan Heng, Singapore Theatre Festival, WILD RICE Theatre
Spain
- David Delfin, music videos
- Nacho Duato, National Spanish Dance Company, Mikhailovsky Theatre
- Augustin Perez Rubio, MALBA-Fondacion Constantini museum
Taiwan
- Lin Hwai-min, Novel Dance Series
United States
- Alvin Ailey, The Horton Dance Company
- Steven Blier, New York Festival of Song
- Douglas Carter Beane, Drama Dept. Theatre Company
- Christopher Castellani, Grub Street
- Ian Daniel, The Civilians
- Kai Davis, Babel Poetry Collective
- Snehal Desai, East West Players
- Sean Dorsey, Fresh Meat Productions
- Alonso Duralde, USA Film Festival
- Scott Elliot, New Group
- Michael Feinstein, The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana
- Terry Kilburn, Meadow Brook Theatre
- Charles Ludlum, Ridiculous Theatrical Company
- Geoffrey Nauffts, Naked Angels Theatre Company
- Joshua Peugh, Dark Circle Contemporary Dance
- Nicholas Phan, Collaborative Arts Institute
- Rajendra Roy, Hamptons International Film Festival
- Kevin Spacey, Old Vic Theatre
- David Staller, Gingold Theatrical Group
- Christopher Stowell, Oregon Ballet Theatre
- Shawna Virago, San Francisco Transgender Film Festival
- James Warwick, Colonial Theatre
- Storme Webber, Voices Rising
- Kim Yutani, Outfest Las Angeles
See Also
- Notable LGBTQ Playwrights
- Notable LGBTQ Dance Choreographers
- Prominent Theatre and Film Critics Who Identify as LGBTQ
- LGBTQ Lyricists and Composers for Theatre and Film
- LGBTQ Ballet Dancers
