Stephen Unwin

Stephen Unwin (born 29 December 1959) is a British theatre and opera director, author, and disability rights advocate. He is the founder of the English Touring Theatre and was the Co-Artistic Director of the Rose Theatre, Kingston from 2008 to 2014. His work as a director spans classic plays, new writing, and opera, while his activism and writing are heavily influenced by his experience as the father of a son with severe learning disabilities.

Stephen Unwin
Born	(1959-12-29) December 29, 1959 (age 65) Budapest, Hungary (reportedly)[1]
Education	Downing College, Cambridge
Occupations	Theatre director Opera director Playwright Author Disability activist
Known for	Founding English Touring Theatre Co-Artistic Director of the Rose Theatre, Kingston Advocacy for people with learning disabilities
Children	3

Early life and education

Unwin was born in 1959, reportedly in Budapest, Hungary.^[1] He studied English at Downing College, Cambridge, matriculating in 1979.^[2] During his time at Cambridge, he directed approximately 15 student productions. His staging of Measure for Measure won an award at the 1981 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and subsequently transferred to the Almeida Theatre. In 1982, he was awarded an Arts Council trainee bursary to the Almeida.^[1]

Theatre Career

Early career

In the 1980s, Unwin was the Associate Director at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, where he directed new Scottish and international plays, working with young actors including Tilda Swinton, Simon Russell Beale, and Alan Cumming.^[3] Several of his Traverse productions, such as Michel Tremblay's Sandra/Manon and Manfred Karge's The Conquest of the South Pole, transferred to London venues like the Donmar Warehouse and the Royal Court Theatre.^[3] In the early 1990s, he served as Resident Director at the Royal National Theatre Studio, directing works by Peter Handke and Marivaux.^[3]

English Touring Theatre (ETT)

In January 1993, Unwin founded the English Touring Theatre (ETT).^[3] His inaugural production was Hamlet, starring Alan Cumming and Eleanor Bron, which transferred to the West End and won multiple awards.^[3] Over his 15 years as Artistic Director, Unwin mounted nearly 20 productions, ranging from classics like A Doll's House, Macbeth, and King Lear to new works.^[3] Many ETT productions won major awards, including TMA and Ian Charleson Awards, and transferred to prominent London theatres. Notable productions included Hedda Gabler, Shakespeare's As You Like It and Henry IV (Parts I & II), and Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective. He also produced world premieres of plays by Jonathan Harvey and Richard Bean.^[3] Unwin stepped down from ETT in 2008.^[3]

Rose Theatre Kingston

In 2008, Unwin was appointed Co-Artistic Director of the newly built Rose Theatre, Kingston, with Sir Peter Hall serving as Emeritus Director.^[3][4] He opened the theatre in January 2008 with an adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Over the next six years, his productions included The Winslow Boy, Hay Fever (starring Celia Imrie), Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea, and revivals of Peter Nichols's A Day in the Death of Joe Egg and Ibsen's Ghosts.^[3][5] He also produced three Shakespeare productions directed by Hall, including A Midsummer Night's Dream starring Judi Dench.^[3]

Opera and Playwriting

Unwin has directed over 20 operas for companies such as English Touring Opera, the English National Opera, and the Royal Opera House. His repertoire includes works by Mozart, Donizetti, and Rossini.^[3]

As a playwright, Unwin made his debut in 2017 with All Our Children, a drama set in Nazi Germany about the persecution of disabled children, which premiered at the Jermyn Street Theatre.^[6] In 2024, his play Laughing Boy, an adaptation of Sara Ryan's memoir about the death of her son Connor Sparrowhawk, was staged at Jermyn Street Theatre to critical acclaim.^[7][8]

Disability Activism

Unwin is a prominent advocate for people with learning disabilities, a role largely motivated by his personal experience. His youngest son, Joey, has severe learning disabilities, autism, and intractable epilepsy.^[9][7] Unwin has stated that Joey is non-speaking and requires constant supervision, experiences which informed his 2013 production of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.^[9]

He channels this experience into advocacy through public speaking and writing. He has contributed articles to publications including The Independent and Byline Times on the rights and history of learning-disabled people.^[9][10] In 2023, he delivered a keynote address titled "No child is ineducable" at an education forum, drawing on his research into historical and contemporary approaches to special education.^[11]

Unwin holds leadership positions in several disability charities. Since 2017, he has served as Chair of KIDS, a UK children's disability charity, and is Patron of Dramatise, a drama charity for young people with disabilities.^[6][12] His creative work often reflects his activism, as seen in his plays All Our Children and Laughing Boy, which address historical atrocities and contemporary systemic neglect of disabled people.^[6][8]

Publications

Books

• 20th Century Drama (Faber Pocket Guides) (2001)^[13]
• So You Want to Be a Theatre Director? (2004)^[13]
• Ibsen, Chekhov & Strindberg (Faber Pocket Guides) (2004)^[13]
• A Guide to the Plays of Bertolt Brecht (2005)^[13]
• The Well-Read Play: Shakespeare for Every Classroom (2011)^[13]
• Poor Naked Wretches: Shakespeare's Working People (2014)^[13]
• Beautiful Lives: How We Got Learning Disabilities So Wrong (2024)^[14]

Plays

• All Our Children (2017)
• Laughing Boy (2024), adapted from Sara Ryan's memoir

Awards and recognition

Unwin's productions have received numerous awards, including:

• Three Edinburgh Fringe Firsts^[3]
• Six TMA Awards (now UK Theatre Awards)^[3]
• Two Ian Charleson Awards^[3]
• A Time Out Award^[3]
• Several Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards^[3]

In 2003, he was the joint winner of the Sam Wanamaker Prize, awarded by Shakespeare's Globe for contributions to Shakespearean theatre.^[3] In 2010, the Rose Theatre, Kingston won a local business award for "Best Community Contribution" under his leadership.^[3]

Personal life

Unwin is the father of three children. His advocacy work is deeply connected to his youngest son, Joey, who has profound and multiple learning disabilities.^[9][7]