Background
Stephen was born in Welwyn Garden City.
Stephen was born in Welwyn Garden City.
In his short career, he also supervised artistic live-theatre rejuvenations at The Playhouse Theatre (Perth), Australia, the Lyceum Theatre (Sheffield) and the Theatre Royal, Bath. His father, Gerald, was editor of the News Chronicle, and his first contact with the theatre was through his mother, the actress Vera Lindsay. He was educated at Marlborough College and Manchester University, where he studied drama under Hugh Hunt and Stephen Joseph.
Stephen Barry trained as a director with Bernard Miles at the Mermaid Theatre, served as assistant director at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, and was a staff director at the National Theatre under Laurence Olivier at the Old Victoria
In 1974, aged 29, he took up his first artistic directorship for a theatre in Harrogate. Four years later, he accepted the challenge of rejuvenating The National Theatre at the Playhouse in Perth, Western Australia.
In that role he created many very successful presentations including Alan Ayckbourn"s The Norman Conquests, a season of Death of a Salesman with Warren Mitchell, and sellout performances of Pam Gems"s musical Piaf with Judy Davis. He also commissioned and produced a controversial Dorothy Hewett play, The Manitoba from Muckinupin for Western Australia"s 150th anniversary (WAY "79).
In 1982, he returned to the United Kingdom to serve as artistic director with the Redgrave Theatre, Farnham until 1986, and then the Theatre Royal, Bath.