Simon McBurney (b. 1957) is one of the most innovative and influential theatre makers in the United Kingdom. In 1983, he co-founded the company Complicité, through which he developed a distinctive stage language based on in-depth research, collaboration, and the conviction that every aspect of theatre should challenge the limits of its own form. His work repeatedly returns to political, social and philosophical questions about the way we live and think, combining ancient theatrical traditions with the latest technologies.
In addition to creating original works, McBurney also stages and adapts texts by other authors and in 2002 he adapted the fantasy novel The Dark is Rising (1973), by Susan Cooper, for radio, in collaboration with writer Robert Macfarlane, in a production for BBC World Service. He has also directed opera and, more recently, created his first dance piece, Figures in Extinction, a co-production between Nederlands Dans Theater and Complicité, with choreography by Crystal Pite.
Throughout his career, he has received several awards, including the Konrad Wolf Prize (Berlin, 2008), given to outstanding multidisciplinary artists in Europe, and the prestigious Yomiuri Prize (Japan, 2009). He was Artiste Associé at the Festival d’Avignon in 2012 and holds honorary doctorates from several universities, including Lund University (Sweden), London Metropolitan University, and Cambridge.
As an actor in television and film, he has appeared in series such as The Borgias (2011-2013) and Carnival Row (2019-2023), and in films including The Last King of Scotland (2006), The Theory of Everything (2014) and Nosferatu (2024), which will be shown at this LEFFEST, as part of the tribute to McBurney.
Simon McBurney
Actor, stage director
