Philip Dart

Director | Adaptor

Philip has been a regular director at Vienna’s English Theatre for many years, where productions have included Charley’s Aunt, Lend Me a Tenor, The Importance of Being Earnest, Pygmalion, Sleuth, The Mousetrap, Baskerville, Harvey and America’s Sexiest Couple.

After gaining a degree in Drama at Hull University, Philip’s early directing career took him to the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, the Plymouth Theatre Company and the Soho Poly Theatre in London. For twenty-five years he was the Artistic Director of the Channel Theatre Company and in the 00s he set up the acclaimed Chalkfoot Theatre Arts. He now works as a freelance Theatre Director in the UK and Europe.

Philip’s first foray into national touring began with two UK touring premieres: Larry Kramer’s pioneering play, The Normal Heart and Anthony Minghella’s Made in Bangkok. There followed a number of highly successful national touring productions, including The Woman in Black, Michael Frayn’s Benefactors, Rattigan’s While the Sun Shines and Tom McGrath’s play Laurel and Hardy (a co-production with Buxton Opera House).  

Philip has also directed two in-house productions for the Festival Theatre, Malvern: Shaw’s Arms and the Man and a reworking of the musical, Nightingale. In a freelance capacity he has directed Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels for Pavilion Theatre and was co-director and co-adaptor of The Mysteries at Canterbury Cathedral. More recently he has directed Dangerous Obsession for the English Theatre of Hamburg, Vanity Fair for the Arts University Bournemouth, Ring Round the Moon for the Drama Studio London and RADA’s final year show, Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class.

From the very beginning of his career, Philip has also specialised in adapting literary works, most notably: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (Northampton Theatre Royal), Jane Austen’s Emma and Tressell’s The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist.  His adaptation of Erskine Childers’ Edwardian spy novel The Riddle of the Sands, earned him nominations for Best Director and Best Production in the Off West End awards following a run at London’s Jermyn Street Theatre. Philip’s adaptation of the little known Wilkie Collins novel The Haunted Hotel has successfully toured around the UK on three occasions.

Philip is delighted to be returning to Vienna with his own adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel – The Sign of the Four.

For more information about Philip’s work go to www.scenethreecreative.co.uk.