Jonathan Kent CBE (born 1946) is an English theatre director and opera
director. He is known as a director/producer alongside Ian McDiarmid
at the Almeida Theatre from 1990 to 2002.He was appointed Commander of
the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in
February 2016 for his services to the performing arts.Kent was born in
England to architect parents. They moved to Cape Town, South Africa,
when Kent was one year old. He went to school at Diocesan College,
Rondebosch, where he appeared as King Lear in the school play in 1964.
He originally thought of taking up the profession of painter, but
returned to England to study acting at the Central School of Speech
and Drama in the 1970s. After completing his drama education, he
joined the repertory company Glasgow Citizens Theatre in Scotland.By
1990 Kent had formed an association with the Scottish actor Ian
McDiarmid, and between 1990 and 2002 as joint artistic directors, they
turned the Almeida into a major producing theatre. The success of this
venturepresenting a wide range of international playsled to 14 plays
produced under Kent's tenure being transferred to the West End and
also to Broadway. His productions for the Almeida included When We
Dead Awaken; All for Love; Medea (also West End/Broadway); Chatsky;
The Showman; The School for Wives; Gangster No 1; Tartuffe; The Life
of Galileo; The Rules of the Game; Ivanov (also in Moscow); The
Government Inspector; Naked (also West End); The Tempest; Hamlet (also
Broadway); Richard II; Coriolanus (also New York/Tokyo); Phdre;
Britannicus (also West End/New York); Plenty(West End); Lulu (also
Washington); Platonov and King Lear.
director. He is known as a director/producer alongside Ian McDiarmid
at the Almeida Theatre from 1990 to 2002.He was appointed Commander of
the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in
February 2016 for his services to the performing arts.Kent was born in
England to architect parents. They moved to Cape Town, South Africa,
when Kent was one year old. He went to school at Diocesan College,
Rondebosch, where he appeared as King Lear in the school play in 1964.
He originally thought of taking up the profession of painter, but
returned to England to study acting at the Central School of Speech
and Drama in the 1970s. After completing his drama education, he
joined the repertory company Glasgow Citizens Theatre in Scotland.By
1990 Kent had formed an association with the Scottish actor Ian
McDiarmid, and between 1990 and 2002 as joint artistic directors, they
turned the Almeida into a major producing theatre. The success of this
venturepresenting a wide range of international playsled to 14 plays
produced under Kent's tenure being transferred to the West End and
also to Broadway. His productions for the Almeida included When We
Dead Awaken; All for Love; Medea (also West End/Broadway); Chatsky;
The Showman; The School for Wives; Gangster No 1; Tartuffe; The Life
of Galileo; The Rules of the Game; Ivanov (also in Moscow); The
Government Inspector; Naked (also West End); The Tempest; Hamlet (also
Broadway); Richard II; Coriolanus (also New York/Tokyo); Phdre;
Britannicus (also West End/New York); Plenty(West End); Lulu (also
Washington); Platonov and King Lear.
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