{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Simon Dormandy | image = | image_size = 150px | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = 13 December 1957 | birth_place = England | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = {{hlist|Theatre director|teacher|actor}} | years_active = | spouse = | partner = | website = }}
'''Simon Dormandy''' is an English theatre director, teacher and actor. As an actor, he worked with Cheek by Jowl and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), as well as at The Donmar Warehouse, The Old Vic, Chichester Festival Theatre and The Royal Exchange, amongst many others. He is perhaps best known on screen for his performances in ''Little Dorrit'' and ''Vanity Fair''. Between 1997 and 2012, he taught drama at Eton College, Berkshire, and held the posts of Director of Drama, Head of Theatre Studies and Deputy Head of English.<ref name="Spectator23498"> {{cite news |last=Gore-Langton |first=Robert |title=Acting: Floreat Etona |publisher=The Spectator |date=5 July 2006 |url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/cartoons/23498/part_3/floreat-etona.thtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070812113438/http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/cartoons/23498/part_3/floreat-etona.thtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 August 2007 |accessdate=31 January 2008 }}</ref><ref name="IMDB0233788"> {{cite web | title = Biography for Simon Dormandy | publisher = Internet Movie Database | date = January 2007 | url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0233788/bio | accessdate = 31 January 2008}}</ref> He worked as a freelance theatre director until 2019 <ref name="linkedin.com">http://www.linkedin.com/pub/simon-dormandy/23/98a/911 {{Self-published source|date=June 2022}}</ref> and has been Head of Academic Drama at St Paul's School, London since 2020.<ref name="Teaching Staff">{{cite web | url=https://www.stpaulsschool.org.uk/academic/academic-13-16/teaching-staff/ | title=Teaching Staff }}</ref> His directing credits include ''Julius Caesar'' at the Bristol Old Vic and ''Much Ado About Nothing'' at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, and his own adaptations of ''A Passage to India'' and the Coen Brothers' film ''The Hudsucker Proxy''.
==Background== Simon Dormandy was born on 13 December 1957.<ref name="IMDB0233788"/> He attended Marlborough College and studied English Language and Literature at Oxford University between 1976 and 1979.<ref name="linkedin.com"/> Dormandy studied with Philippe Gaulier at École Philippe Gaulier.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wright |first1=John |title=Genius of Egoist pt II |url=http://totaltheatre.org.uk/archive/features/genius-or-egoist-work-philippe-gaulier-part-ii |website=totaltheatre.org.uk |publisher=Total Theatre |access-date=18 July 2025}}</ref>
Simon Dormandy was, as an actor, known largely for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company between 1988 and 1995. Over the period, he worked with many well known directors, including Adrian Noble, Sam Mendes, Deborah Warner, Katie Mitchell and Max Stafford-Clark. He also took part in several films and television series. He was perhaps best known for his performances in ''Little Dorrit'' (as Sparkler) and ''Vanity Fair'' (as Dobbin). He was also known for his work with the theatre company Cheek By Jowl.<ref>[http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/features/282.html Time Out Article - Cheek By Jowl "Plenty of face"] {{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
He taught Drama and English at Eton College for fifteen years from 1997 to 2012, where he was Director of Drama, Head of Theatre Studies and Deputy Head of English.<ref name="Spectator23498"/><ref name="IMDB0233788"/> His pupils included the actors Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne, Harry Lloyd and Adetomiwa Edun, director James Dacre and comedians Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton of comedy duo Totally Tom and Humphrey Ker. School productions include ''Henry VI'' with Eddie Redmayne, ''Waiting for Godot'' with Harry Lloyd, ''King Lear'' (where he directed Edward Stourton's son in the title role<ref>{{cite news| url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_200607/ai_n17178779 | work=The Spectator | title=Floreat Etona | year=2006}}</ref>), ''Three Sisters, Pool, No Water'', ''Henry IV'', (a joint version of both Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2),<ref>http://www.etoncollege.com/ Drama Section</ref> ''Joseph K'' and ''Spring Awakening''.
Since January 2013, he has been working as a freelance theatre director. In 2013, he was assistant director on the world premiere of ''The Low Road'' by Bruce Norris at The Royal Court Theatre. In 2014 he directed the UK Premiere of ''Eldorado'' by Marius von Mayenburg and a production of ''Waiting for Godot'' with young comedians in the leading roles, both at The Arcola Theatre in London. In 2015, he co-directed his own stage adaptation of the Coen Brothers' film ''The Hudsucker Proxy'' with Toby Sedgwick at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton and the Liverpool Playhouse in association with Complicite. The production won Best Design at the 2015 UK Theatre Awards. He was also an artistic collaborator on Simon McBurney's ''The Encounter'' for Complicite at the Edinburgh International Festival and subsequently at the Barbican, London and on tour. In 2016, he directed Mel Giedroyc in the highly acclaimed UK Premiere of ''Luce'' by J. C. Lee at Southwark Playhouse. In 2017, he directed ''Julius Caesar'' at the Bristol Old Vic, and developed and co-directed his own adaptation of ''A Passage to India'', which toured early in 2018 before a five-week run at The Park in London. His production of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' opened at the Rose Theatre, Kingston in April 2018.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
He returned to teaching in 2019 at City of London Freemen's School<ref>{{cite web | url=https://issuu.com/freemens/docs/a_level_options_booklet_4 | title=City of London Freemen's School a Level Options 2020 - 2021 by Freemen's - Issuu | date=25 August 2020 }}</ref> and has served as Head of Academic Drama at St Paul's School, London since 2020.<ref name="Teaching Staff"/> He also teaches and directs at Shakespeare's Globe, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Drama Centre, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and the British American Drama Academy.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
==Filmography==
===Film credits=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Film !! Role |- |rowspan="2" | 1986 || ''Whoops Apocalypse'' || Soldier |- | ''Castaway'' || Jackson |- | 1988 || ''Little Dorrit'' || Sparkler |- |rowspan="2" | 1992 || ''Rebecca's Daughters'' || Captain Marsden |- | ''Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'' || Bives |}
===Television credits=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! TV !! Role !! Notes |- |rowspan="2" | 1987 || ''Boogie Outlaws'' || || TV mini-series |- | ''Vanity Fair'' || William Dobbin || TV mini-series |- | 1989 || ''Casualty'' || Tom || TV show 1 episode |- | 1996 || ''Bugs'' || Zito || TV show 2 episodes |}
==Selected stage appearances==
===Non-Royal Shakespeare Company=== *''Death and the King's Horsemen'', Royal Exchange, 1990 (dir. Phyllida Lloyd)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royalexchange.co.uk/history/1990/DEATH%20AND%20THE%20KINGS%20HORSEMAN.htm |title=Death and the Kings Horseman |access-date=5 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030119152230/http://www.royalexchange.co.uk/history/1990/DEATH%20AND%20THE%20KINGS%20HORSEMAN.htm |archive-date=19 January 2003 |url-status=dead}}</ref> *''Adam Was a Gardener'', Minerva Studio, Chichester, 1991<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.betsyda.com/denisof/items/adadamgard.html|title = BEDLAM: Alexis Denisof: Adam Was a Gardener}}</ref> * ''Losing Venice'' (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 1992)<ref name="LV001"> {{cite web |title=teatro do mundo - The Plays: Losing Venice |publisher=teatro do mundo |date=14 June 2007 |url=http://www.teatrodomundo.com/plays/losven.html |accessdate=29 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814032720/http://www.teatrodomundo.com/plays/losven.html |archivedate=14 August 2007 }}</ref> *''The Threepenny Opera'' (Donmar Warehouse, London, 1994)
===With the Royal Shakespeare Company=== <small>All Royal Shakespeare Company performances taken from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust archive history<ref name="SBT001"> {{cite web | title = Archive catalogue - Simon Dormandy | publisher = Shakespeare Birthplace Trust | url = http://www.dswebhosting.info/Shakespeare/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Site11&dsqDb=Roles&dsqCmd=xdetail.tcl&dsqSearch=((Name='Simon')AND(Name='Dormandy')) | accessdate = 29 January 2008}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref></small> {{col-begin|width=95%}} {{col-1-of-2}}
====1988==== * ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, April) * ''Henry VI'' (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, October) * ''Richard III'' (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, October) * ''Edward IV'' (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, October) * ''Stars in the Morning Sky'' The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, December)
====1989==== * ''Henry VI'' (Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, February) * ''Edward IV'' (Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, February) * ''Richard III'' (Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, February) * ''Henry VI'' (Barbican Theatre, London, April)<ref name="RSC001"> {{cite web |title=The Tragedy of Richard the Third |publisher=Royal Shakespeare Company |year=2007 |url=http://www.rscshakespeare.co.uk/richardIII.html |accessdate=28 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229005819/http://www.rscshakespeare.co.uk/richardIII.html |archivedate=29 February 2008 }}</ref> * ''Richard III'' (Barbican Theatre, London, April)<ref name="RSC001"/> * ''Edward IV'' (Barbican Theatre, London, April) * ''King John'' (Pit, London, May) * ''King John'' (Pit, London, May) * ''Mary and Lizzie'' (Pit, London, September) * ''Stars in the Morning Sky'' (Almeida Theatre, London, October) * ''The Liar'' (Old Vic, London)<ref>[http://www.phyllis.demon.co.uk/theatricalia/07class/class8089.htm 1980s Theatre Programs]</ref>
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====1992==== * ''Richard III'' (The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, August) * ''Richard III'' (On tour, September)
====1993==== * ''Richard III'' (Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, March<ref name="RSC001"/> * ''King Lear'' (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, May) * ''The Country Wife'' (Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, August)
====1994==== * ''King Lear'' (Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, February) * ''The Country Wife'' (Newcastle Playhouse, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, February) * ''King Lear'' (Barbican Theatre, London, May) * ''The Country Wife'' (Pit, London, July)
====1995==== * ''Measure for Measure'' (Barbican Theatre, London, June) * ''The Park'' (Pit, London, September)
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==See also== *Eton College *Royal Shakespeare Company
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0233788|name=Simon Dormandy}} *[https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2002/jun/04/guardianletters2 The Guardian - Eton at odds with the RSC] *[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E3DD113DF936A35750C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon= Giving the Boys at Eton Something to Think About - NY Times article] *[http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/rsc/histories.html Random House - RSC Stagings (Simon Dormandy references)]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dormandy, Simon}} Category:Living people Category:English male film actors Category:English male stage actors Category:English male television actors Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:1957 births Category:People educated at Marlborough College