Ian was Artistic and Managing Director of The Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park from 1987 until 2007.
For Regent’s Park he directed Babes In Arms; The Fantasticks; Lady Be Good; The Card; Kiss Me Kate; A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum; Oh, What A Lovely War; H.M.S. Pinafore; (all nominated for Olivier Awards), The Pirates Of Penzance (Olivier nomination for best director 2000), Much Ado About Nothing; Androcles and the Lion; Look Here Old Son; The Two Gentlemen Of Verona; Twelfth Night; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; A Connecticut Yankee; The Comedy Of Errors; Paint Your Wagon; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; The Music Man; Where’s Charley?; Camelot and The Boyfriend.
His other directing credits include: The Secret Garden (Watermill Theatre, Newbury); Yeoman Of The Guard (Savoy Theatre); Peter Pan (Royal Festival Hall); High Society (Shaftesbury Theatre and national tour); The Pirates Of Penzance (West Yorkshire Playhouse and national tour); Anything Goes (national tour); Kiss Me Kate (Brisbane Festival); Lend Me A Tenor The Musical (Gielgud Theatre); Noises Off (Birmingham Rep); Doctor In The House (National tour); The Invisible Man and Charley's Aunt Menier Chocolate Factory); Love Letters (Dubai Festival); Third Finger Left Hand (Trafalgar Studios); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Old Globe, San Diego); Million Dollar Quartet (Royal Festival Hall and national Tour); Eugenius! (The Other Palace); Once Seen On Blue Peter - Makes, Bakes & Outtakes (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh); Perfect Murder, Dead Simple, Not Dead Enough, The House on Cold Hill (UK Tours); The Dame (Park Theatre & UK Tour); The Mousetrap (St. Martin’s Theatre); Priscilla Queen of the Desert (UK Tour); Shirley Valentine (Cheltenham); Scaramouche Jones (Ginger Quiff Media); White Christmas (UK Tour) and many overseas tours and pantomimes.
Ian was awarded the O.B.E. in 2007 for his work at The Open Air Theatre.