The following text has been taken from Who's Who 2026 and is supplied with the kind permission of A&C Black Publishers Ltd.
The following entry is copyright A&C Black Publishers Ltd.
MOORE, John, (Jonathan Moore)
Occupation: actor; writer; director
Career: Writer: plays: 1st play aged 11, Hornus’ Poem; Sea Change, 1977; Obstruct the doors, Cause Delay and Be Dangerous…, 1980; Street Captives, Edinburgh Fest., transf. Royal Exchange, 1981; Treatment, Donmar, 1982 (Edinburgh Fest. Fringe First award; also BBC TV Film); The Hooligan Nights (NT commn), 1985; Behind Heaven, Royal Exchange (commd), transf. Donmar, 1986; Regeneration, 1989; This Other Eden, Soho Th., 1990; Fall From Light, 2002; Mad God (adaptation of The Bacchae, commd by Royal Exchange), 2003–05, 2014; Inigo (also dir), White Bear Th., transf. Pleasance Main House, 2015; television: Crown Court (Granada TV), 1982;
libretto: Stewart Copeland’s Horse Opera (televised, also actor), 1992; Mottke the Thief (also Dir and writer of adaptation from novel by Schalom Asch), Bonn Opera, 1998; The Invention of Morel, Chicago Opera Theater, 2017, Long Beach Opera, 2018; Savage Winter, Pittsburgh Opera, transf. BAM New York Brooklyn Acad. of Music, 2018; Electric Saint, German Nat. Th., Weimar, 2022 (also Dir and co-designer); The Witches Seed, Tones on the Stones Fest., Italy, 2022, revival, Teatro Natura, Lake Maggiore, Teatro Arcimboldi, Milan and Teatro Alfieri, Asti, 2024;
directed: Turnage Greek (world premiere; co-writer of adaptation from play), Munich Biennale (Best Libretto award), Edinburgh Internat. Fest., 1988, ENO, 1990 (co-dir. BBC TV film, Royal Phil. Soc. Best Film award), revival, Grimeborn Opera Fest., Arcola Th., 2018, 2022; Elegy for Young Lovers, La Fenice, Venice, 1989; 63 Dream Palace, Munich Biennale (Best Dir award) and German TV, 1990; Baa Baa Black Sheep, Opera North, Cheltenham Fest., BBC TV, 1993; Cask of Amontillado, Holders, Barbados, 1993; East and West (also writer of text), Almeida, 1994; Life with An Idiot, ENO, Scottish Opera, 1995; James MacMillan’s Ines de Castro, Scottish Opera, Edinburgh Internat. Fest., BBC TV, 1996; Dance Marathon, Basel Ballet, 1996; Inkle and Yarico, Holders Easter Season, Barbados, 1997; Nyman’s Facing Goya, Santiago del Compostela, Perrelada Fest., 2001; Müller-Wieland’s Die Versicherung, State Th., Darmstadt, 2002; Magic Flute (also trans. of spoken text), Scottish Opera, 2003; Sex, Chips and Rock ’n’ Roll, Royal Exchange, 2005; The Soldier’s Tale (also actor), Savannah Fest., Georgia, 2006; The Ballad of Elizabeth Sulky Mouth, Greenwich, 2006; The Revenger’s Tragedy, Royal Exchange, 2008; House of Bernarda Alba, Battersea Arts Centre Main House, 2009; Crimes in Hot Countries, RADA, 2009; Our Lady of Sligo, RADA, 2010; Shadowball, Mermaid Th., 2010; Faith and Cold Reading, Live Th., Newcastle, 2011; Tell Tale Heart, ROH, 2011; Ashes and Sand, RADA, 2011; The Acid Test, RADA, 2012; Betrayal, RADA, 2013; Glengarry Glenross, Jacksons Lane Th., 2012; What You Will, Shakespeare’s Globe, Cultural Olympiad, 2012; Sonnet Walks, Shakespeare’s Globe, 2013–14; Unprotected, Courtyard Th., Hoxton, 2014; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oval House, 2015;
Actor: theatre includes leading roles in: Class Enemy, Oxford Playhouse, transf. Young Vic, 1979; The Gorky Brigade, Royal Court, 1980; I Die for None of Them (one-man play), Edinburgh Fringe Fest., 1980, 1981 (Fringe First Award); Treatment, Gate, 1981, Donmar, 1982, Edinburgh Fest., 1986; Venice Preserv’d, Almeida, 1982; Arrivederci Millwall, Albany Empire, 1985; Behind Heaven, Royal Exchange, Donmar, 1986; The Art of Success, RSC, 1987; The Idiot, Barbican, 1990; Narrator, The Raven, Teatro Manzoni, Milan, 1990, Teatro Dell’Elfo, Milan, 2012; Dead Funny, Salisbury Playhouse, Th. Clwyd, 1998; Misalliance, 1998, The School of Night, 1999, Chichester Fest. Th.; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2001, Macbeth, 2002, Arcola; Round the Horne, West End and No 1 UK tour, 2004; 2Graves (one-man play), Edinburgh Fest., transf. Arts Th., 2006; Holding Fire!, Shakespeare’s Globe, 2007; Winter Journey, Teatro Massimo Palermo, 2019, Teatro dal Verme, Milan, 2022, Teatro San Carlo, Naples, 2023;
television includes leading roles in: Treatment, 1984; Inside Story, 1986; Bleak House, 1986; Jack the Ripper (series), 1988; Roger Roger (two series), 1999, 2003; The People’s Harry Enfield, 2001; Foyle’s War, 2003; Cruel Train, 2004; City of Vice (series), 2007, Criminal Justice (series), 2008; Midsomer Murders (series), 2008; Sharpe’s Peril (series), 2009; Holby City, 2013;
films include: My Beautiful Laundrette, 1985; Golden Brown, 2011; 2 Graves, 2013.
Collaborated on theatre pieces with Ludovico Einaudi, Stewart Copeland, Daniel Hope, band Test Dept, master percussionist Stomu Yamashta, jazz pianist Uri Caine, Eddy Grant, and mems of rock band Killing Joke and Jah Wobble; contrib. to BBC TV and radio arts discussion progs.
Founder Mem. And Dir, New London Actors, 1980–84.
Writer-in-Residence, Albany Empire, Deptford, 1985.
Vis. Sen. Lectr, RCM, 2006; Guest Lectr, 2006, Vis. Lectr, 2010, Drama Centre, London; Vis. Lectr, RADA, 2009–13.
Mem., Artistic Adv. Cttee, RADA, 2013–.
Directed Shakespeare and screen acting workshops, Actor’s Centre. KHS 2016
UPCOMING: world premiere of Shakespeares’ Cousin ( White Bear Theatre, London nov 2026) to be published by Aurora Metro Press Autumn 2026.
First Novel, “ The Sun on the Sound” Publisher tbc.
Publications: Jonathan Moore: three plays, 2002; Inigo, 2015 (trans. Spanish, 2016)
Recreations: meditation, interior landscape gardening, football
Address 2: (acting) c/o Rebecca Singer Management, 16 Albert Street, Banbury
Postcode 2: OX16 5DG
Telephone 2: 07801 259963
e-mail: office@rebeccasingermanagement.com
Address 2: (opera directing) Robert Gilder and Co, 109A Woodside, Wimbledon
Postcode 2: SW19 7BA
Telephone 2: (020) 8286 6218
Website: www.jonathanmooreuk.com