Lucy Bailey is a British theatre director, known for productions such as Baby Doll at Britain's National Theatre[1] and a notorious Titus Andronicus, described by a critic as "all eye-catchingly visceral but there’s little depth".[2] Bailey founded the Gogmagogs theatre-music group (1995–2006) and was Artistic Director and joint founder of the Print Room theatre in West London (2010-2012).[3][4] She has worked extensively with Bunny Christie and other leading stage designers, including her husband William Dudley.[5][6]
Bailey was born in Butleigh, Somerset, England. She has stated that her favourite films include any by Pasolini. As a teenager, Bailey studied the flute but gave up music to concentrate on theatre.[7] Bailey studied English at St Peter's College, Oxford.[8] She and her husband, William Dudley, have two sons.
Bailey became interested in theatre when she worked as a telephonist at Glyndebourne at the age of 17.[9] At age 20, Bailey wrote to Samuel Beckett requesting permission to stage his short story, Lessness. Beckett agreed to meet, and she showed him her design for a production.[10][11] Although he said she had got it completely wrong, he gave her permission to stage it, which she did at The Oxford Playhouse in February 1982.[12][13]
Bailey started her professional life as an assistant director at the Royal National Theatre, Glyndebourne Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Bailey co-founded the Gogmagogs music theatre company in 1995, with Nell Catchpole and six other string players.[14] Her return to straight theatre came when she was invited by Mark Rylance, then artistic director of the Globe Theatre, to direct there in the late 1990s, and her work there has included productions of Titus Andronicus[15] and Macbeth. Bailey has also directed Shakespeare productions at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, including The Taming of the Shrew, A Winter's Tale and Julius Caesar, with Greg Hicks in the title role.[16]
Lucy Bailey co-founded the 80-seat London venue Print Room,[17] which opened on 10 November 2010,[18] and along with the producer Anda Winters was Artistic Director there until 2012.[19] At the Print Room, Bailey directed productions such as Fabrication by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Alan Ayckbourn’s Snake in the Grass, Tennessee Williams’ Kingdom of Earth[20] and Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya with Iain Glen in the title role.[21] Bailey and her producer renovated a 1950s warehouse into the theatre, situated just off Westbourne Grove, aiming to show challenging or unknown plays as well as classics. Bailey and Winters say that they first conceived the Print Room over a large glass of wine at the National Theatre.[22] After Lucy Bailey's departure, Anda Winters moved the theatre to the Coronet Cinema.[23]