Sir Matthew Bourne
Director and Choreographer
Matthew started his dance training at the comparatively late age of 22 and danced professionally for 14 years. As artistic director of his first company, Adventures in Motion Pictures, from 1987 until 2002, Matthew created many award-winning works (including Nutcracker!, Highland Fling, Swan Lake, Cinderella and The Car Man). Further hit productions were created when New Adventures was launched in 2002 (including Play Without Words, Edward Scissorhands, Dorian Gray, Sleeping Beauty, The Red Shoes and Romeo and Juliet). New Adventures quickly became the UK’s busiest and most successful dance company and the major exporter of British dance across the world.
Matthew is also a West End and Broadway choreographer; a 30-year relationship with producer Cameron Mackintosh has resulted in the globally successful musicals Mary Poppins (which is about to embark on a major UK Tour), My Fair Lady and Oliver! He has seven honorary doctorates and in 2018 received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from University of Oxford. He is also an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London and The Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
In 2015, he became the first dance figure to be given the Stage Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre, presented by the UK Theatre Awards. He received the OBE in 2001 and was knighted in the Queen’s New Year honours in 2016; in the same year he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award in recognition of his outstanding services to dance.
Recent work includes directing Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends (soon to be seen in Los Angeles and on Broadway) and his latest work for New Adventures The Midnight Bell, which premiered in 2021 and went on to win the National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography in 2022. He recently directed the new hit production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! for Chichester Festival Theatre which will transfer to the West End this Christmas.