Phyllida Lloyd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phyllida Lloyd CBE
Born	Phyllida Christian Lloyd (1957-06-17) 17 June 1957 (age 68) Nempnett Thrubwell, Somerset, England
Occupation	Film and theatre director
Years active	1997–present
Notable work	Mamma Mia

Phyllida Lloyd (born 17 June 1957) is a famous English director who works in both film and theatre. She is known for directing popular movies like Mamma Mia! (2008) and The Iron Lady (2011). She has also directed many plays and operas, earning praise for her work. Critics have called her adaptations of Shakespeare plays "one of the most important theatrical events of the past 20 years."

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Phyllida Lloyd was born and grew up in Nempnett Thrubwell, a village in Somerset, England. After studying Drama and Theatre Arts at Birmingham University, she worked for five years in BBC Television Drama.

In 1985, she received a special grant to train as a director at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich. The next year, she became an Associate Director at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham. By 1989, she was an Associate Director at the Bristol Old Vic, where her play The Comedy of Errors was a big success.

Directing in Manchester and with the Royal Shakespeare Company

Lloyd then moved to the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. There, she directed several plays, including The Winter's Tale and Death and the King's Horseman.

In 1991, she made her first appearance at the Royal Shakespeare Company, directing a play called The Virtuoso. She also directed Artists and Admirers in 1992.

Success in London Theatres

In 1992, Lloyd had her first big commercial success. Her play Six Degrees of Separation, which she directed at the Royal Court Theatre, moved to the West End, a famous theatre district in London.

In 1994, she started directing at the Royal National Theatre. Her productions there included Pericles and The Threepenny Opera.

Directing Opera Productions

Phyllida Lloyd also became a very successful opera director. Her first opera, L'Etoile, was a huge hit. Since then, she has directed many operas, including La Boheme and Macbeth, for major opera houses like Opera North and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Her opera productions have won several awards, including the Royal Philharmonic Society Award multiple times.

Return to National Theatre and Other Stage Works

After her first production at the National Theatre, Lloyd returned to direct more plays there. These included The Way of the World and The Duchess of Malfi, which were well-received by audiences and critics.

In 2001, she directed an award-winning play called Boston Marriage at the Donmar Warehouse in London. She also directed Mary Stuart, which moved from London to Broadway in New York in 2009.

Directing Mamma Mia! and Other Films

In 1999, Lloyd was asked to direct the musical Mamma Mia!, based on the songs of ABBA. The musical became a massive hit around the world.

She then directed the movie version of Mamma Mia! in 2008. This was her first time directing a feature film. The movie became the highest-grossing film in the UK that year and also the best-selling DVD.

In 2011, Lloyd directed The Iron Lady, a movie about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Meryl Streep played Thatcher in the film and won an Academy Award for her amazing performance.

Her film Herself, which she also directed, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020.

The Donmar Warehouse Trilogy

Between 2012 and 2017, Phyllida Lloyd directed a special series of plays called the Donmar Warehouse Trilogy. In these plays, all the roles were performed by women. Harriet Walter played the main characters in three Shakespeare plays: Brutus in Julius Caesar, the title role in Henry IV, and Prospero in The Tempest. These plays were so important that a critic from The Guardian called the Trilogy "one of the most important theatrical events of the last twenty years."

Filmography

Honours and Awards

Phyllida Lloyd has received many honours for her work. Oxford University named her a Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre in 2006. She also received honorary degrees from Bristol University and Birmingham University.

In 2010, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), which is a special award from the British government for her contributions to the arts.

Awards and Nominations

See also

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women
• Women's cinema