Michael Lunney
Director

After beginning his career as a civil/structural draughtsman, Michael changed direction slightly and went to drama school in Birmingham. He co-founded Middle Ground a few years later, after working in rep, pantomime, small-scale touring and Theatre-in-Education.

Michael made his directing debut in 1995 with his interpretation of the Priestley classic An Inspector Calls, which played in Scotland/the Highlands and Islands for ten weeks to much acclaim. Other Middle Ground directing includes number one touring productions of Bill Naughton’s Spring and Port Wine, J B Priestley’s Dangerous Corner, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, Noël Coward’s Present Laughter, Terence Rattigan’s Flare Path, Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter, Frederick Knott’s Dial M for Murder, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall’s Billy Liar, and numerous tours of Wynyard Browne’s The Holly and the Ivy, with Barry Foster, Dermot Walsh, Tony Britton and Philip Madoc.

In 2001, he directed and adapted for stage William Rose’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? and in 2006, he adapted, designed and directed Middle Ground’smost ambitious production to date, James Kennaway’s classic drama Tunes of Glory, which starred Patrick Ryecart and Stuart McGugan, in which he also played the role of Major Charles Scott.

Acting roles for Middle Ground Theatre Company include: Tony Wendice in Dial M for Murder, Jack Manningham in Gaslight, Harold Crompton in Spring and Port Wine, Inspector Martin in The Late Edwina Black, Arthur Fitton in The Family Way, Gerald Croft and Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls, Walter Ormund in I Have Been Here Before, Dr Shlessinger in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Robert Caplan in Dangerous Corner, Fred in Present Laughter, John Ruskin in Pre-Raphaelite Seeds, Robert Dudley in Soe Well I Love Thee and Inspector Hubbard in Dial M for Murder.

In 2007, he produced the new punk comedy Meeting Joe Strummer, and last year he directed and designed the UK number one tour of Billy Liar.

He lives in Malvern with his partner Lynette, their beautiful new baby girl Bethany Rose…and Labrador Jasper.