Keith Warner

Keith Warner (born 6 December 1956) is a British opera director, designer and translator. He is noted for his stagings of Richard Wagner's operas. (Revived for the Olympic Arts Festival in 2012, and again in 2018). He won the 2003 Olivier award for his production of Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” at the ROH, Covent Garden.

Over the past two decades, his work with various companies has been pivotal, including directing thirteen productions at Theater an der Wien, twelve at Oper Frankfurt, and five at The Semper Oper in Dresden.

Warner was appointed Artistic Director of The Royal Danish Opera 2011/12, where he directed “Don Giovanni”, “Wozzeck”, “Parsifal”, and “Albert Herring” and the world premiere of Penderecki’s 2nd version of “The Devils of Loudon” (a joint production with Warsaw). taking up the post in July 2011, he resigned after six months, along with conductor and music director Jakub Hrůša, as a result of problems with funding and management issues.

In 2022, his production of “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” in Vienna received a 30-minute standing ovation at its premiere.

Theatre work includes a double bill of Cocteau’s “La Voix Humaine” and Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape” (Bloomsbury Festival), Georg Kaiser’s and Kurt Weill’s “Silverlake”, (Wexford Festival) and Lerner and Lowe’s “My Fair Lady” (Houston, USA; and on tour). His production of Sondheim’s “Passion” (Montepulciano) was named by Matt Wolff in The New York Times as one of the four best theatre productions in Europe in 2019. Shakespeare’s “King Lear” at Grange Park Festival, using only opera singers in the cast proved an outstanding success.

Writing Warner is also a writer, supplying the book and lyrics for "Scoring A Century", an operetta, which began a long series of works with composer, David Blake. Originally commissioned by Portland Opera, it received its world premiere at The Crescent Theatre Birmingham,

Anna Picard in The Sunday Independent, 14 March 2010, heralded it: "Directed by Warner and conducted by Lionel Friend, Birmingham Conservatoire's exuberant production revealed a work that is as much a history of music as it is a history of politics, as Blake's sentimental waltzes and sassy cabaret songs cede to a series of mini-operas in the styles of Berg and Stravinsky and a Shosta- kovichian show trial. This is a terrific choice for an institution that prides itself on producing voices for music theatre and opera, and a work that should be seen at the Young Vic or the Donmar ." Nine years later, a revival in London divided critics more, some of whom called it 'pretentious', embarrassing,

Other music-theatre pieces followed: an operetta-like version of Bergmann's "Fanny and Alexander", "Icarus", performed at the 2016 Montepulciano Festival in Italy. 41st Cantiere di Montepulciano.

about which Roberto del Nista wrote, "All credit to Warner and Blake for putting on stage stories that are normally the preserve of television and the Internet".

"Four Modern Myths" comprises four 30 minute monodramas: Medea's Cell – for soprano; Persephone's Rounds – for mezzo; Narcissus Reflects – for tenor; and the Twin Trials of Hercules – for bass-baritone. There is also an optional epilogue for all four singers. And "Something About Love" (2024).

In addition, he has taught drama and acting and served as a visiting director at the University of Ann Arbor, MI, and the University of Vermillion , SD.

Throughout his career, Warner has directed over 200 operas, plays, and musicals.