BIOGRAPHY
An acclaimed director with 20 years experience across a range of arts who has created award-winning opera and theatre productions throughout the UK and internationally. Trained at The National Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company and now with a visionary reputation for directing epic opera and large-scale musical theatre productions. Jo has worked in London's West End and on Broadway. She has directed musicals at London's Barbican, Le Chatelet in Paris, the Welsh Millenium Centre and at the London Coliseum. She has directed for the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre Wales and the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
Jo has directed for a number of International Opera companies, among them Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Netherlands Opera, Angers and Nantes Opera and Opera North.
She recently directed Yeoman of The Guard for ENO. She also collaborated at ENO with acclaimed fashion designer Zandra Rhodes on a production of Aida. Her production of Kiss Me Kate for Opera North won 'best musical' in CIty Life awards. Her production of Silly Kings for National Theatre Wales won the theatre critics of Wales award for 'best production for children and young people' and her Marriage of Figaro for Opera North was nominated for outstanding achievement in British Opera.
Davies has worked with some of the greatest writers and directors of her generation including Alan Ayckbourn, Harold Pinter, Sarah Kane and monty python Terry Jones, Sir Nicholas Hytner, Deborah Warner, Fiona Shaw and Phyllida Lloyd. She has also worked with conductors Carlo Rizzi, Tomas Hanus, Julia Jones, Nicola Luisotti, David Charles Abell, and John Wilson. Jo has directed and taught at The Royal Academy of Music, The Royal College of Music, Arts Educational School, The National Youth Music Theatre, Central School of Speech and Drama, on the Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Young Artist Programme and for The National Opera Studio.
Recent Production credits include:
The Yeoman of the Guard (English National Opera), Gypsy (Royal Exchange Manchester), Carmen (Welsh National Opera), Oklahoma! (Grange Park Opera), The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich (Royal Shakespeare Company), Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera North), Twelfth Night (Royal Exchange Theatre), Don Carlo (Grange Park Opera), Kiss me Kate (Opera North / WNO / ENO), Don Giovanni (Nederlandse Reisopera), The Roaring Girl (RSC), Carousel, (Barbican, Chatalet Paris, Opera North) Ruddigore (Barbican, Opera North, UK Tour) The Two Widows (Angers/ Nantes), Aida (English National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera), The Country (Salisbury Playhouse), Le Nozze di Figaro (Classical Opera Company), Rodelinda, La Vie Parisienne, The Bartered Bride, The Cunning Little Vixen, Rape of Lucretia (Royal College of Music) A Night at the Chinese Opera (Royal Academy of Music) Fanciulla Del West (Opera Holland Park) Le Toreador (Batignano Opera Festival),The Palace in The Sky (English National Opera), About Face (Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House), Charlie Lavender (Southwark Playhouse) Secondhand Dreams (Stephen Joseph Theatre) The Wizard of Oz (Bath Theatre Royal)
Writing credits:
New edition of 'The Roaring Girl', published by Nick Hern Books.
As a dramaturg, 'The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich' (RSC); 'Silly Kings' (Terry Jones & Kath Chandler/National Theatre Wales); The Yeoman of the Guard (ENO); 'Ruddigore' (Opera North)
As a writer Jo has written the libretto for several short operas including About Face with Tamsin Oglesby for ROH Linbury, Jack and Jill for Tete a Tete and also Elements, Head II Head and Midnight's Children for ENO– Contemporary Opera Studio.
Associate/Assistant Director credits include:
Mary Stuart (Donmar Warehouse,West End) Medea (West End, Broadway) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West End , Broadway)The Winter’s Tale, House and Garden, (Royal National Theatre), Dialogues of the Carmelites (English National Opera), Turn of the Screw, Turco in Italia ( Royal Opera House) The Winter's Tale (RSC) The Fall of the House of Usher (Bregenz) Gloriana ( Opera North), Tin Pan Alley (Edinburgh Festival Theatre), The Last Yankee (Bristol Old Vic), As You Like It (Theatre Royal Bristol/West Yorkshire Playhouse), Accommodating Eva (King's Head), Trio, The Lover, The Stronger (Critics Up for Review, BAC)