Sir Gregory Doran in Conversation with Michael Hurst
About this Event
Wednesday 8 July
B201 - 440
Sir Gregory Doran in Conversation with Michael Hurst
This event will bring together two giants of Shakespearean theatre, Sir Gregory Doran and Michael Hurst ONZM, for an intimate in-conversation at the University of Auckland. Having directed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon from 1989, Gregory Doran was the Artistic Director of the RSC from 2012 to 2022. Throughout his career, he directed the entirety of William Shakespeare’s canonical oeuvre and beyond, redefining the landscape of 21st-century British theatre. Michael Hurst is a multi-award-winning actor and director and has helmed countless productions both on and off stage as an icon of the New Zealand theatre industry. In 2005 he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to film and theatre.
Sir Gregory Doran and Michael Hurst will engage in a wide-ranging conversation, covering topics such as the trajectory of their illustrious careers, their life-long relationships with the work of William Shakespeare, and their vision of Shakespeare’s place in contemporary Britain and New Zealand.
Sir Gregory’s visit to New Zealand is supported by the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific.
About Sir Gregory DORAN
Gregory Doran has been described as “one of the great Shakespeareans of his generation” (The Sunday Times)
He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company as an actor in 1987, and became its Artistic Director in 2012, stepping down a decade later. He has directed every play in the First Folio.
Notable productions include Antony & Cleopatra with Harriet Walter and Patrick Stewart, Hamlet and Richard II with David Tennant, All’s Well that Ends Well with Judi Dench, and a digitally pioneering production of The Tempest with Simon Russell Beale. His production of Julius Caesar with an all-Black British cast was described by Michael Billington as one of the ten best productions in the RSC's 60-year history.
Greg’s long relationship with his late husband, Sir Antony Sher, produced many acclaimed productions, including Titus Andronicus, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, Othello, Henry IV (Parts 1 & 2), and King Lear.
He initiated the RSC’s “Live From Stratford-upon-Avon” programme – broadcasting to cinemas around the world, and streaming into UK schools for free.
He is an honorary senior research fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, a trustee of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and an honorary associate of the British Shakespeare Association. He was awarded the Pragnell Shakespeare Prize in 2023, and became President of the Stratford Shakespeare Club on its 200th anniversary.
He was knighted for his services to Theatre in 2024.
Greg’s recent work includes Richard III, with Arthur Hughes, (the first disabled actor to play the role for the RSC); Cymbeline, which marked his 50th production for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Two Gentlemen of Verona as the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor at Oxford University; and Gogol’s The Government Inspector at Chichester.
My Shakespeare : A Director’s Journey Through the First Folio published by Bloomsbury Is now out in paperback.
His quest to see as many extant copies of the First Folio across the globe (2023/4) is the subject of his latest book Walking Shadow: Love Loss and Shakespeare, published by Bloomsbury in April 2026.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
NZD 0.00
