Matthew Xia is a theatre director and cultural leader whose work spans new writing, music theatre, international collaboration, family work, large-scale production and site-specific performance.

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He is Artistic Director and CEO of Actors Touring Company, one of the UK’s leading international theatre companies. Under his leadership, ATC has developed and toured ambitious, globally minded work across the UK, connecting artists, stories and audiences across cultures, forms and communities.

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Matthew’s productions have been seen across the UK, Europe, Australia and the United States, including at Sydney Opera House, Arts Centre Melbourne, Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, the Donmar Warehouse, the Royal Court, Stratford East, Soho Theatre, the Royal Exchange (Manchester), the Young Vic, Nottingham Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic, HOME, the Orange Tree Theatre and Greenwich + Docklands International Festival.

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Recent directing work includes the critically acclaimed, record-breaking production of THE HARDER THEY COME at Stratford East; the first UK tour of Andrea Levy’s SMALL ISLAND; Dave Harris’ TENDER at Soho Theatre; Dominique Morisseau’s SKELETON CREW at the Donmar Warehouse; and Marcelo Dos Santos’ Fringe First-winning FEELING AFRAID AS IF SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS GOING TO HAPPEN, which has since been seen in Australia and the United States.

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For ATC, Matthew has directed the European premiere and national tour of Dave Harris' TAMBO & BONES, DARKLING by Titas Halder, AMSTERDAM by Maya Arad Yasur, Michele Lee’s RICE, and several iterations of Mojisola Adebayo’s Alfred Fagon Award-winning FAMILY TREE. With Greenwich & Docklands Festival he directed THE ARCHITECT, an immersive production staged on a moving London bus, inspired by Stephen Lawrence, and BODIES OF WATER, staged along the banks of the Thames. 

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His wider directing credits include THE WIZ at Hope Mill Theatre; BLUE/ORANGE at the Young Vic, starring David Haig, Daniel Kaluuya and Luke Norris; ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…; BLOOD KNOT; SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD; EDEN; and WISH LIST starring Joe Quinn and Erin Doherty.

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In 2022, Matthew co-adapted and directed HEY DUGGEE: THE LIVE THEATRE SHOW, which toured nationally and won the Olivier Award for Best Family Show in 2023.

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Earlier in his career, Matthew was Associate Artistic Director at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, where he directed Sonhiem's INTO THE WOODS, April De Angelis’ adaptation of FRANKENSTEIN, Katherine Soper’s Bruntwood Prize-winning WISH LIST, and the Young Company in Jackie Kay’s BRINK. He also founded Open Exchange, a major development programme supporting hundreds of early-career theatre-makers.

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Matthew began his career at Stratford East as a young actor and DJ, performing under the name Excalibah. That route through theatre, music and live audiences, including early shows like DA BOYZ and THE BLACKS (REMIXED), continues to shape his work.

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He is a founding member of Act For Change, Vice Chair of Cardboard Citizens, and a trustee of Get Into Theatre and the Genesis Theatre Design Programme. He has served on judging panels for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, the Alfred Fagon Award, the Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund and the Eurovision Song Contest.

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Matthew was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Arts London for his contribution to making theatre more equitable, accessible and representative.

 

He is also a DJ, composer and occasional sound designer under the name Excalibah.

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SELECTED RECENT DIRECTING

 

TENDER

by Dave Harris

Director

Soho Theatre

 

SMALL ISLAND

by Helen Edmundson, based on the novel by Andrea Levy

Director

Leeds Playhouse / Nottingham Playhouse / Birmingham Rep / Actors Touring Company

 

THE HARDER THEY COME

by Suzan-Lori Parks, featuring songs by Jimmy Cliff

Director

Stratford East / Washington Square Films

 

SKELETON CREW

by Dominique Morisseau

Director

Donmar Warehouse

 

TAMBO & BONES

by Dave Harris

Director

Actors Touring Company / Stratford East / UK Tour

 

THE ARCHITECT

by Roy Williams, Bola Agbaje, Mojisola Adebayo, Dexter Flanders, Vanessa Macauley and Matthew Xia

Director

Actors Touring Company / Greenwich + Docklands International Festival

 

HEY DUGGEE: THE LIVE THEATRE SHOW

by Vikki Stone and Matthew Xia

Co-adaptor and Director

Kenny Wax / Cuffe & Taylor

Olivier Award winner

 

FEELING AFRAID AS IF SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS GOING TO HAPPEN

by Marcelo Dos Santos

Director

Fringe First winner

 

THE WIZ

by Charlie Smalls and William F. Brown

Director

Ameena Hamid Productions / Hope Mill Theatre

 

RICE

by Michele Lee

Director

Actors Touring Company / Orange Tree Theatre / UK Tour

 

FAMILY TREE

by Mojisola Adebayo

Director

Actors Touring Company / Young Vic / Greenwich + Docklands International Festival / Belgrade Theatre / Brixton House

 

846 LIVE

by Nathaniel Martello-White, Roy Williams, Somalia Seaton and Suhayla El-Bushra

Director

Stratford East / Greenwich + Docklands International Festival

 

AMSTERDAM

by Maya Arad Yasur

Director

Actors Touring Company / Orange Tree Theatre / Theatre Royal Plymouth

 

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…

by Kemp Powers

Director

Nottingham Playhouse / Bristol Old Vic / HOME

 

BLOOD KNOT

by Athol Fugard

Director

Orange Tree Theatre

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SLEEPING BEAUTY

by Sarah Nixon, Mark Chatterton and Robert Hyman

Director

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

SHEBEEN

by Mufaro Makubika

Director

Nottingham Playhouse / Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

FRANKENSTEIN

by April De Angelis, after Mary Shelley

Director

Royal Exchange Theatre

 

WISH LIST

by Katherine Soper

Director

Royal Exchange Theatre / Royal Court

Bruntwood Prize winner

 

BLUE/ORANGE

by Joe Penhall

Director

Young Vic

 

 

ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE, MANCHESTER

 

FRANKENSTEIN

by April De Angelis, after Mary Shelley

Director

 

WISH LIST

by Katherine Soper

Director

 

INTO THE WOODS

by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim

Director

 

BRINK

by Jackie Kay

Director

 

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YOUNG VIC

 

BLUE/ORANGE

by Joe Penhall

Director

 

THE SOUND OF YELLOW

by Francesca Beard, Matthew Xia and participants

Director

 

SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD

by Athol Fugard, Winston Ntshona and John Kani

Director

Eclipse Theatre co-production

 

BLACKTA

by Nathaniel Martello-White

Assistant Director to David Lan

 

 

THEATRE ROYAL STRATFORD EAST

 

THE HARDER THEY COME

by Suzan-Lori Parks, featuring songs by Jimmy Cliff

Director

 

TAMBO & BONES

by Dave Harris

Director

 

846 LIVE

by Nathaniel Martello-White, Roy Williams, Somalia Seaton and Suhayla El-Bushra

Director

 

SLEEPING BEAUTY

by Sarah Nixon, Mark Chatterton and Robert Hyman

Director

 

MAD BLUD

by Philip Osment

Associate Director to Philip Osment

 

THE BLACKS: REMIXED

by Jean Genet

Co-director with ULTZ / Composer / Performer

 

RE:DEFINITION

A staged concept album featuring Shola Ama, Ghetts, Devlin and Omar

Director

 

I WAS LOOKING AT THE CEILING AND THEN I SAW THE SKY

by John Adams & June Jordan

Co-director with Kerry Michael

 

CINDERELLA

by Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman

Co-director with Kerry Michael

 

ALADDIN

by Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman

Associate Director to Kerry Michael

 

DA BOYZ

by Rodgers and Hart

Musical Director / Adapter / Performer

 

 

OTHER DIRECTING & CREATIVE CREDITS

 

40 EXTRAORDINARY YEARS

by Laura Horton and Babs Horton

Director

Theatre Royal Plymouth

 

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…

by Kemp Powers

Director

Nottingham Playhouse / Bristol Old Vic / HOME

 

BLOOD KNOT

by Athol Fugard

Director

Orange Tree Theatre

 

DUBLIN CAROL

by Conor McPherson

Director

Sherman Theatre Cardiff

 

EDEN

by Hannah Patterson

Director

Hampstead Theatre Downstairs

 

SUCKERPUNCH BOOM SUITE

A staged mixtape in response to Basquiat

Director

Barbican / NitroBEAT

 

WISH LIST

by Katherine Soper

Director

Royal Court / Royal Exchange Theatre

 

MIGRATION MUSIC

by Saphena Aziz

Director

Liverpool Everyman

 

SCRAPPERS

by Daniel Matthew

Director

Liverpool Playhouse

 

THE MISANTHROPE

by Roger McGough, after Moliere

Assistant Director to Gemma Bodinetz

Liverpool Playhouse / English Touring Theatre

 

BLACKLANDS

by Levi David Addai

Director

Alfred Fagon Award reading, National Theatre

 

WILD CHILD

by Arinzé Kene

Director

Royal Court Rough Cut

 

THE MACHINE SPEAKS

by Matthew Xia, Sarah Sayeed and company

Director

Contact Theatre

 

RUTH THE DIVORCEE AND BARRY THE LOVE SICK BEE

by Jon Brittain

Director

Lyric Hammersmith Studio

 

ABANDONMENT

by Tom Morton-Smith

Director

Rich Mix

 

SOYUZ 40

by Kenny Emson

Director

Theatre503

 

RE:DEFINITION

A staged concept album featuring Kano, Donae’o, Ghetts, Scrufizzer and Mpho

Director

Urban Development / Hackney Empire

 

IN HIS HANDS

by Roberto Martins

Director

Hackney Empire

 

WHEN CHAPLIN MET GANDHI

by Jim Kenworth

Director

Kingsley Hall

 

 

COMPOSITION & SOUND DESIGN

 

THE PEOPLE ARE SINGING

Manchester Royal Exchange / World Stages / British Council

 

FLASH MOB

Greenwich + Docklands International Festival

 

FREE RUN

Underbelly Productions

 

THAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT

Time Won’t Wait

 

SQUID

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

MAD BLUD

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

STICK TO THE SCRIPT

Cardboard Citizens

 

A CLEAN BREAK

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

HANSEL AND GRETEL

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

ORIGIN: UNKNOWN

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

NATIONAL SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP

as DJ

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

THE SNOW QUEEN

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

FAMILYMAN

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

MEDEA

Theatre Royal Stratford East

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BOLERO REMIXED

New London Orchestra

 

VEX

Crying Out Loud

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IN HIS HANDS

Okai Collier

 

PASS THE BATON

New London Orchestra

 

PUSH FESTIVAL

Young Vic

 

AEROPLANE MAN

as DJ

Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

ASK DA MAYOR

as DJ

Theatre Royal Stratford East

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