{{Short description|English theatre director}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Michael Buffong | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1964}} | birth_place = Islington, London, England | occupation = Theatre director | known for = | education = | notable_works = | awards = | website = }} '''Michael Buffong''' (born 1964) is an English theatre director and the Artistic Director of Talawa Theatre Company. His work is characterised by reworking stage classics delivered to high degree of detail.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/don-warringtons-king-lear-is-a-heartbreaking-tour-de-force/|title=Don Warrington's King Lear is a heartbreaking tour de force|first=Claire|last=Allfree|date=18 May 2016|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/apr/07/king-lear-review-royal-exchange-manchester|title=King Lear review – as close to definitive as can be|first=Alfred|last=Hickling|date=7 April 2016|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name="whatsonstage.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/ipswich-theatre/reviews/all-my-sons-talawa-tour_37186.html|title=All My Sons (Tour) - 'Michael Buffong ratchets up the tension'|first=Anne|last=Morley-Priestman|website=WhatsOnStage|date=18 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/feb/08/waiting-for-godot-review|title=Waiting for Godot – review|first=Alfred|last=Hickling|date=8 February 2012|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> Buffong has been described as "one of the most influential directors of classic plays over the last two decades",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09gzjvm|title=Denis Lawson, Paulette Randall, Hossein Amini, Michael Buffong. Tricky, Jazz Morley, Sara Cox, Clive Anderson, Loose Ends - BBC Radio 4|website=BBC}}</ref> in addition to being named one of ''Creative Review''{{'}}s 50 Creative Leaders.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.creativereview.co.uk/creativeleaders50/leader/michael-buffong/|title=Creative Leaders 50|website=Creative Review|date=2017}}</ref> In Spring 2019, Buffong was one of the judges of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/jackie-sibblies-drury-susan-smith-blackburn-2019_48632.html|title=Jackie Sibblies Drury wins Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Fairview|first=Daisy|last=Bowie-Sell|website=WhatsOnStage|date=5 March 2019}} </ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/big-interviews/big-interviews/michael-buffong|title=Michael Buffong interview|first=Tim|last= Bano|website=The Stage|date=29 July 2020}}</ref>
==Career==
Buffong was born in Islington, London, in 1964. He attended a director's course at Theatre Royal Stratford East and was later appointed an assistant director there. Buffong then went on to work in television and film and his credits include ''Holby City'', ''EastEnders'', ''Admin'', ''Placebo'', ''Calais Rules'', ''Doctors'', ''Casualty'' and ''Comedy Shuffle'' (BBC), ''Hollyoaks'' (Lime Pictures), ''Feeling It'' (Eye2Eye) and ''Blazed'' (Channel 4). He has also written and directed the award-winning short film ''Simple!'' (Acapulco Film Festival).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cft.org.uk/profile/michael-buffong |title=Profile {{!}} Michael Buffong |publisher=Chichester Festival Theatre|access-date=17 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918010124/https://www.cft.org.uk/profile/michael-buffong |archive-date=18 September 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
He has also been particularly associated with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, where he has directed at least five plays. Buffong also directed Lenny Henry and Lashana Lynch in the Willy Russell play Educating Rita at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/all-black-makeover-classic-english-tale|title=All-black makeover for classic English tale}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/feb/26/lenny-henry-educating-rita-chichester-fantastic-lashana-lynch-michael-buffong|title=Lenny Henry to star in Educating Rita at Chichester|first=Mark|last=Brown|date=26 February 2015|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>
Buffong has been the artistic director Talawa Theatre Company since 2011.<ref name="talawa.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.talawa.com/about/who-we-are/|title=Who We Are}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/michael-buffong-putting-black-actors-on-stage-is-the-easy-bit|title=Michael Buffong: 'Putting black actors on stage is the easy bit'|publisher=thestage.co.uk|first=Tom|last=Wicker|date=28 March 2016|access-date=1 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/oct/25/black-actors-lenny-henry-theatre|title=After a century of black British theatre, actors still struggle to take centre stage|first=Vanessa|last=Thorpe|date=24 October 2015|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> With Talawa, Buffong has most recently directed ''Guys and Dolls'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/dec/07/guys-and-dolls-review-royal-exchange-manchester|title=Guys and Dolls review – swaggering Harlem grit rocks the Broadway boat|first=Lyn|last=Gardner|date=7 December 2017|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/theatre-review-guys-and-dolls-at-the-royal-exchange-theatre-manchester-3vl9kxlrz|title=Theatre review: Guys and Dolls at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester|first=Ann|last=Treneman|date=8 December 2017|newspaper=The Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/dec/10/guys-and-dolls-review-colourful-characters-royal-exchange-manchester|title=Guys and Dolls review – larger than life, but with a core of grit|first=Clare|last=Brennan|date=10 December 2017|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> ''King Lear'',<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.talawa.com/articles/king-lear-reviewed/|title=King Lear Reviewed}}</ref> ''All My Sons'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/oct/02/all-my-sons-review|title=All My Sons – review|first=Alfred|last=Hickling|date=2 October 2013|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name="whatsonstage.com"/> ''Moon on a Rainbow Shawl'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/review-moon-rainbow-shawl-birmingham-6731479|title=Review: Moon on a Rainbow Shawl at Birmingham Repertory Theatre|first=Richard|last=Edmonds|date=21 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/mar/18/moon-rainbow-shawl-talk-about-shivered|title=Moon on a Rainbow Shawl; Can We Talk about This?; Shivered – review|first=Kate|last=Kellaway|author-link=Kate Kellaway|newspaper=The Observer|date=18 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://londonist.com/2012/03/theatre-review-moon-on-a-rainbow-shawl-national-theatre|title=Theatre Review: Moon on a Rainbow Shawl @ National Theatre|last=Belindal|website=Londonist|date=18 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/moon-on-a-rainbow-shawl-national-se1-review-7573175.html|title=Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, National, SE1 - review|first=Henry|last= Hitchings|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=15 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/mar/15/moon-rainbow-shawl-review|title=Moon on a Rainbow Shawl – review|first=Michael|last=Billington|date=15 March 2012|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> ''God's Property'',<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/2013/03/aversion-therapy/|title=Aversion therapy |magazine=The Spectator|first=Lloyd|last=Evans|date=9 March 2013}}</ref> ''The Serpent's Tooth''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/the-serpents-tooth/|title=The Serpent's Tooth - Exeunt Magazine|website=exeuntmagazine.com}}</ref> and ''Passing Wind''.<ref name="talawa.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/10-2011/talawa-appoints-michael-buffong-as-new-artistic-di_6643.html|title=Talawa Appoints Michael Buffong as New Artistic Director|first=Theo |last=Bosanquet|website=WhatsOnStage|date=13 October 2011}}</ref> Buffong has directed Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's ''A Kind of People'' at Royal Court Theatre and will also direct the Talawa co-production with Park Theatre (London) of Archie Maddocks's ''A Place for We'' in early summer 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/cast-announced-for-a-kind-of-people-at-the-royal-court|title=Cast announced for A Kind of People at the Royal Court|first= Nicholas Ephram Ryan|last= Daniels|website=London Theatre Direct|date=4 December 2019}}</ref><ref>[http://www.talawa.com/productions/a-place-for-we/ "A Place for We"] at Talawa.</ref>
==Theatre Productions== ===Royal Exchange===
His credits include:<ref>{{cite web |title=Royal Exchange Production History |url=https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/454-the-theatre-production-history/file |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519033924/https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/454-the-theatre-production-history/file |archive-date=2015-05-19 |accessdate=2016-09-12 |publisher=royalexchangetheatre.org.uk}}</ref>
* ''Six Degrees of Separation'' by John Guare with Lisa Eichhorn as Ouissa Kittredge, Phillip Bretherton as Flanders Kittredge and O-T Fagbenle (MEN Award) as Paul (May 2004) * ''All the Ordinary Angels'' by Nick Leather (November 2005) * ''A Raisin in the Sun'' by Lorraine Hansberry (MEN Award) with Ray Fearon as Walter Lee Younger, Starletta DuPois (MEN Award) as Lena Younger and Jenny Jules (MEN Award) as Ruth Younger (Feb 2010) * ''Private Lives'' by Noël Coward with Imogen Stubbs as Amanda Prynne, Simon Robson as Elyot Chase, Joanna Page as Sibyl Chase and Clive Hayward as Victor Prynne (Mar 2011) * ''All My Sons'' by Arthur Miller with Don Warrington as Joe Keller, Dona Croll as Kate Keller, Chike Okonkwo as Chris Keller, Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Ann Deever and Simon Coombs as George Deever. (October 2013) * ''King Lear''. Co-production with Talawa Theatre Company with Don Warrington in the title role. (April 2016) * ''Guys and Dolls''. Co-production with Talawa Theatre Company with Ray Fearon as Nathan Detroit, Lucay Vandi as Miss Adeleide, Ashley Zhamghazha as Sky Mssterson, and Abiona Omonua as Sarah Brown. (December 2017)
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buffong, Michael}} Category:1964 births Category:British artistic directors Category:British theatre directors Category:Living people