ANDREW POLE

Most recently Andrew directed Blood Brothers at both the Hayes Theatre and the Alex Theatre in St Kilda. This production starred Helen Dallimore who, in the role of Mrs Johnstone, was nominated for a Helpmann award for Best Actress in a musical.

Andrew directed Enda Markey’s Do You Hear The People Sing, a series of concerts in Shanghai featuring the music of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alan Boublil, starring Lea Salonga and Michael Ball alongside an Australian cast.  He also directed Enda Markey’s Side By Side By Sondheim, headlining Ruthie Henshall with a stellar line-up of Australian music theatre stars.

He began his lengthy career as a music theatre performer, and has been directed by Trevor Nunn, Gale Edwards, Hal Prince, Jon Ewing and Joanne Robinson across a number of productions including Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd and The Phantom Of The Opera respectively. As a performer, his most notable roles are ‘Thenardier’ in the International tour of Les Miserables; ‘Mavrodani’ in Zorba, and the Australian Premiere of Closer Than Ever at the Sydney Opera House.

Working alongside such luminaries as Sir Richard Eyre, Mike Nichols, Eric Idle, Jerry Mitchell and Alain Boublil, Andrew was Resident Director on the Australian tours of Legally Blonde; the Cameron Macintosh/Disney production of Mary Poppins, winning a record number of Helpmann Awards; Monty Python’s Spamalot, starring the late Bille Brown; and an all-Australian cast of Jekyll and Hyde that toured Seoul and South Korea. Andrew was also engaged as Creative Consultant on Floorplay, a ballroom dancing phenomenon that has toured globally.

Andrew was Associate Director on We Will Rock You mounting several productions in Australia, Japan, South Africa and Toronto, Canada. Throughout this period he enjoyed a close collaboration with composers Brian May and Roger Taylor of QUEEN and author Ben Elton. In 2016 Andrew will be Associate Director of We Will Rock You at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney. This production will mark a decade-long association with the show.