Desmond “Des” McAnuff is an American-Canadian artistic director and director. Born in Princeton, Illinois, McAnuff spent most of his formative years in Canada, attending high school at Woburn Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario, He attended Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, but never completed his degree. He was later awarded an honorary degree by Ryerson Theatre School in 2011.
McAnuff began his directing career at the Toronto Free Theatre, but quickly moved to New York City where he co-founded the Dodger Theatre Company in 1978. A former faculty member of the Juilliard School, McAnuff has served as the artist director of the La Jolla Playhouse from 1983-2007 and the Stratford Festival from 2008-2012. McAnuff is credited with reviving the La Jolla Playhouse, directing many award winning shows such as Big River, The Who’s Tommy, and *How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. *
McAnuff has received many Tony award nominations and has won two: Best Direction of a Musical in 1985 for Big River, and again in 1993 for The Who’s Tommy. He is the winner of an Olivier award for Best Director in 1996 for The Who’s Tommy at the Shaftesbury Theatre. In addition to directing, McAnuff McAnuff co-wrote the book for The Who’s Tommy alongside Pete Townshend and was the co-writer of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.
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