Previous Work

Marcus Romer directing Jamie Shelton, Kerron Darby and Andrew Ellis for the Green screen feature production of The Knife That Killed Me for Universal Pictures

This is a timeline of my work as a director and lists the projects the I have made or produced over the years. Current and recent work can be found here.

As an actor I started my professional career in 1987. This was with Pilot Theatre where I would later become Artistic Director in 1993.

Prior to that I worked for a number of companies including several projects for Major Road, Red Ladder, Alive and Kicking, NTC, Cleveland Theatre Company, Theatre Foundry, as well as acting in various TV and Film projects including Prime Suspect, GBH, Dalziel and Pascoe, Heartbeat, The Bill, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, as well as award winning dramas including Hillsborough, The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, and The Harold Shipman Story.

In 1993 I was appointed Artistic Director and CEO of Pilot Theatre.

Shows and Projects that I have Directed / Produced –

1994  Who’s Breaking? by Philip Osment – National Tour. Directed by Marcus Romer

1995  Taken Without Consent (TWOC) scripted and directed by Marcus Romer. Published and translated as ‘Crash Kids’ in German and Danish

1996. Out of Their Heads scripted and directed by Marcus Romer – published by Aurora Metro

1997 Taken Without Consent (TWOC) New National Tour. Directed by Marcus Romer

1998 Lord of the Flies – National mid-scale 8 month tour – co produced with Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and York Theatre Royal. Directed by Marcus Romer. Nominated for a UK Theatre (TMA) Award for best production.

1999  Lord of the Flies – Second national 8 month mid-scale tour with a 4 week London run at the Lyric Hammersmith. Directed by Marcus Romer.

2000 Rumble Fish by SE Hinton adapted and directed by Marcus Romer. Later published in the USA by Dramatic Publishing Ltd. National mid-scale tour.

2000 Lord of the Flies – a 4 week run co-produced with the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Directed by Marcus Romer

2001 Mirad a boy from Bosnia – by Ad de Bont – a three week run at York Theatre Royal. Directed by Marcus Romer

2001 Unsuitable Girls – by Dolly Dhingra, directed by Kully Thiarai. Co-produced with Sheffield Theatres. National Tour including 4 weeks at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith.

2001 Lord of the Flies – A new cast in an 8 month National tour. Directed by Marcus Romer. Winner of Manchester Evening News Award for best touring production.

2002 Kiss of the Spiderwoman – by Manuel Puig. A three week run at York Theatre Royal. Directed by Marcus Romer

2002 Road by Jim Cartwright – co-production with Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. National 8 month tour. Directed by Marcus Romer. A month run at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith

2002 The Tale of Teeka – a new production for York Theatre Royal, for a three week run. directed by Amanda J Smith.

2003 Beautiful Thing – by Jonathan Harvey. First production ran at York Theatre Royal for 3 weeks. Directed by Marcus Romer

2003 A/S/L Age Sex Location a new play by Richard Hurford. 3 week run at York Theatre Royal and national tour. Directed by Marcus Romer

2004 Bloodtide – by Melvin Burgess, adapted and directed by Marcus Romer. National Tour.

2004 Lord of the Flies – A new cast and an 8 month National mid-scale tour. Directed by Marcus Romer

2004 The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin Mcdonagh – a three week run for York Theatre Royal. Directed by Marcus Romer

2004 Turn on, Tune in, Drop out – part of the SightSonic Festival – a live link up between York and Amsterdam with writers writing live text for performers in each City to speak the new words. Devised and directed by Marcus Romer

2005 Beautiful Thing – by Jonathan Harvey for Bolton Octagon and National tour. Winner of three Manchester Evening News Awards. Directed by Marcus Romer

2005 Abigail’s Party by Mike Leigh – a three week run at York Theatre Royal. Directed by Marcus Romer

2005 East is East by Ayub Khan-Din – co-produced with York Theatre Royal – an 8 month National tour directed by Damian Cruden.

2005 The Twits by Roald Dhal – The 6 week Christmas production for the Octagon Theatre, Bolton. Directed by Marcus Romer

2006 Sing Yer Heart Out for The Lads – by Roy Williams, first National tour – 8 months across the UK. Directed by Marcus Romer

2006 The Twits by Roald Dhal The production remounted as a Christmas show at ArtsDepot in London which ran for 6 weeks. Directed by Marcus Romer.

2007 The IIFA awards opening ceremony – The Bollywood awards opening section. Directed by Marcus Romer – With Kully Thiarai and Kit Monkman

2007 Looking for JJ – by Anne Cassidy, adapted and directed by Marcus Romer. A national tour with 5 week run at the Unicorn Theatre, London. Winner of UK Theatre (TMA) award for best production for young people.

2007 Look Back in Anger by John Osborne, co-production between Harrogate Theatre and Oldham Coliseum Theatre. Directed by Marcus Romer

2007 Fungus The Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs – adapted and directed by Marcus Romer. Six week run at ArtsDepot, London

2008 This Child –  a new piece directed by Suzann McLean. First live-streamed piece of Theatre.

2008 – Shift Happens – first arts tech conference curated and present by Marcus Romer

2008 Lord of the Flies – Final National tour 8 months in the UK and 2 weeks in Bermuda. Directed by Marcus Romer

2008 Fungus the Bogeyman – by Raymond Briggs, adapted and directed by Marcus Romer. National tour and 4 week run at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews.

2009 The Fever Chart – by Naomi Wallace. Directed by Marcus Romer and Katie Posner. National tour then a 4 week transfer to Trafalgar Studios in London

2009 Shift Happens 2.0 second arts tech conference curated and presented by Marcus Romer

2010 Romeo and Juliet – by William Shakespeare – Directed by Marcus Romer and Katie Posner. An 8 month National Tour.

2010 WC School in Buenos Aires – made in Buenos Aires a new play Directed by Marcus Romer.

2010 ALT Shift – third Shift Happens Conference curated and presented by Marcus Romer

2010 Catcher – by Richard Hurford, directed by Suzann McLean. Three week run at York Theatre Royal and Pulse Festival in Ipswich.

2011 Blackbird by David Harrower co-produced with York Theatre Royal. National Tour, Directed by Katie Posner.

2011 TEDxYork – first TEDx in York Curated and presented by Marcus Romer

2011 My Name is Rachel Corrie – by Alan Rickman and Kath Viner, directed by Marcus Romer as a piece of Drama on Demand.

2012 The Knife That Killed Me – by Anthony McGowan , adapted and co-directed by Marcus Romer – A new feature movie for Universal Pictures.

2012 Shift Happens – episode iv A New Hope – 4th Shift Happens Conference curated and presented by Marcus Romer.

2012 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, adapted by Roy Williams National tour Directed by Marcus Romer.

2012 Produced The Live to digital livestream York Mystery Plays for the Space and The BBC.

2013 Shift Happens V – Episode 5 Shift Happens Conference curated and presented by Marcus Romer

2013 Produced Blood and Chocolate directed by Alan Lane and SlungLow.

2014 Antigone adapted by Roy Williams – National tour. Directed by Marcus Romer

2014 Ghost Town by Jessica Randall – directed by Katie Posner. National tour

2015 Antigone a four week run at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Directed by Marcus Romer. 

2015 Outsiders – by Emteaz Hussain produced for Pilot Theatre. National tour directed by Fraser Corfield.

2016 –  I left Pilot Theatre as AD and CEO to move with my family to Cambridge and pursue my freelance career.

2016  Co-Produced – The Works film for BBC Shakespeare Lives, with Eliot Barnes-Worrell

2016  Produced Live to digital version Sinbad the Sailor at Theatre Royal Stratford East into Health Trusts and Children’s Hospices across London.

2017 Produced 3 Live to Digital Cinema captures for The Space of Reasons to be Cheerful , Tommy and Rapunzel for Theatre Royal Stratford East and Graeae Theatre. As Associate Artist for Theatre Royal Stratford East.

2018 As Long as the Heart beats  co-created and directed this new piece for National Theatre Wales.

2018 – Produced the Live to Digital capture of Dick Whittington for The Space for Harrogate Theatre as Associate Artist.

2018 Reveal KL – Collusion project, Christmas show for King’s Lynn written by James McDermott and Marcus Romer. Directed by Marcus Romer with Simon Poulter. The show included live projection, performance and augmented reality. It was the first Active Reality production.

2019 Let the Right One in Bristol Old Vic TS Directed by Marcus Romer. Two week run in Bristol.

2019 Justice 39 – Mutiny project for People Power Passion – directed by Marcus Romer with Simon Poulter and Suzann McLean. With video and artwork by Sophie Mellor and Simon Poulter.

2019 Pride and Prejudice adapted by Simon Reade. Directed by Marcus Romer as part of the 200th Anniversary of the Theatre Royal.

2019 Peter Pan – Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds 7 week run of the family Christmas show, Directed by Marcus Romer.

2020 Shirley Valentine – Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, three week run – Directed by Marcus Romer.

2020 Covid19Threads made by Mutiny. Directed by Marcus Romer. With video and artwork by Sophie Mellor and Simon Poulter

2020 Locus Solus made by Mutiny. Directed by Marcus Romer. With tech build and artwork by Sophie Mellor and Simon Poulter