Creative Team

Philip Wm. McKinley is the creative force behind the “reimagined” “Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark” presently running on Broadway.  Earning over $1.8 million per week since its reopening, the once flailing and widely condemned $70 million production has become Broadway’s most famous successful turnaround story.  

McKinley also directed the five-time TONY-nominated Broadway musical “The Boy from Oz.” and the hip comedy THWAK.   He co-conceived and directed “Voyage de la Vie,” a $35 million circus spectacular for Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore.  The production was named Time Out’s Outstanding Production of 2011. 

Showing his versatility and creative prowess, he conceived, directed and staged the 128th – 133rd and 135th editions of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey’s The Greatest Show on Earth earning him the prestigious distinction of directing more editions of the iconic American show than any other living person. 

Presently he is developing with producer Dean Zanuck the original movie musical “State of Affairs.”  Having directed the original production for producer Franz Abraham which opened at the ’02 Dome in London, McKinley returns to recreate Ben Hur Live for Italy – where the story has its origins.

Stufish – The Mark Fisher Studio – specializes in architecture and set design for live entertainment. Working with their experienced team, Mark and Ray have designed some of the most spectacular live concerts and events ever staged. Mark’s designs include “The Wall” for Pink Floyd and every Rolling Stones tour since 1989. He also designed the theatre and stage for KÁ, the Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, and he was Chief Designer for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. His recent ground breaking ‘Claw’ superstructure for the U2 360° tour was the perfect preparation for the ‘in the round’ experience of BEN HUR LIVE.

Ray’s designs include shows for Universal Studios, concert tours for Robbie Williams and Take That, and the Criss Angel & Cirque du Soleil magic show “BeLIEve” in Las Vegas.

Patrick Woodroffe has been responsible for lighting many of the top names in the music world. These include ABBA, AC/DC, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Genesis, Michael Jackson, Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder and Take That. For 25 years, he has lit all of the shows of The Rolling Stones, including the recent Martin Scorsese film, “Shine A Light”. He has designed the lighting for theatrical productions such as “The Blues Brothers”, “The Millennium Dome Show”, “Sinatra” “Lord of the Dance” and “Batman Live”. He has also created many important architectural schemes including the Lake of Dreams at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Somerset House and The V+A Museum in London, and the lighting of Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Jubilee. His spectacular lighting for “Romeo and Juliet” at the Vienna State Opera, which used only light as scenery, and his work for the Bregenz Festival are widely considered to have set a new approach in opera lighting. He is currently working on the “summer Olympics 2012” in London.

Shaun McKenna has written extensively for theatre, musical theatre, TV and radio, producing a mixture of original work and adaptations. TV dramas include “Like Father Like Son”, “The Crooked Man” and award-winning episodes of “Heartbeat.”  As well as theatre plays, he has written four West End musicals, including (with director Matthew Warchus) the Book and Lyrics for the award-winning epic stage version of Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings“ (Toronto 2006, London 2007). He adapted four John le Carre novels (including “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) for the BBC’s 2009/2010 “Complete Smiley” season and is currently developing a new crime series for TV and a stage version of “Ladies in Lavender.”

Broadway: Among Many Others: “The People in the Picture”, “A Free Man of Color” (Drama Desk nomination),” A Catered Affair” (Drama Desk nomination), “Company”, “Dance of the Vampires”, “Beauty and the Beast” (Tony Award, American Theatre Wing’s Design Award, Ovation Award, Oliver nomination), “Into the Woods” (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), “Falsettos”, “Sunday in the Park with George”, “Harrigan ‘N’ Heart”, “In the Summer House”, “Little Me”, “The Moliere Comedies”, “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Hamlet”. Off-Broadway: “Wings”, “In the Grand Manner”, “Let Me Down Easy”, “Road Show”.

Liam Steel is a multi-award winning director and choreographer who has gained an international reputation as being one of Europe’s leading physical and dance-theatre practitioners. For eight years he was a core member and associate director of DV8 physical theatre, during which time the company gleaned seven major awards including an EMMY for the film version of “Enter Achilles”. His extensive freelance career has spanned West End musical theatre, opera, numerous contemporary dance commissions, New Writing, Shakespeare, and International new circus (including working as a guest director for Cirque du Soleil).

He has created a number of large scale site specific pieces, including a commission to celebrate the re-opening of London’s Royal Festival hall and staging London’s Olympic torch handover event with over 500 singers, dancers and circus performers. He is artistic director of his own company Stan Won’t Dance, and an associate director of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, for whom he has created 5 theatre pieces to date, including Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” in 2010 for which he was awarded a prestigious Olivier award for Best Musical Revival.

NEW YORK: Broadway: 52 Broadway shows including  Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, “Lion King”, “Tarzan”, “Aida”, “The Scottsboro Boys”, “That Championship Season”, “Wonderland” also the National Tours of “Beauty and the Beast”, “Springs Awakening” and “Les Miz”  . INTERNATIONAL: 52 First Class productions worldwide: “Tarzan”, “Aida”, “Lion King”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Titanic” also “Ben Hur Live” playing in Rome.  OPERA:  Cyrano (starring Placido Domingo) at the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera House and La Scalla, in Milan. “Don Carlo” directed by Nicholas Hytner at the MET (starring Roberto Alagna and Marina Poplavskaya), “The Heart of a Soldier” , Directed by Francesca Zambello at San Francisco Opera (starring Tom Hampson and Bill Burden).

FILM: “The Game Plan” (starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), “Dan in Real Life” (starring Steve Carell, and Juliet Binoche). “Hamlet” (starring Campbell Scott and Blair Brown). TELVISION: Was Chief Stunt Coordinator for Guiding Light for 12 years. Currently with One Life to Live.  INSTRUCTOR: Yale School of Drama, The New School for Drama and The Neighbor Playhouse. AFFILIATIONS: Board member for the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. AWARDS: Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence from the Lucille Lortel Foundation. AUTHOR: the play Buried Treasure

Nicki Pfeifer, horse expert, enjoys an excellent reputation as a dressage rider, stuntman and charioteer in Europe. 15 years ago he founded the show team „Excalibur – Horse Shows GmbH“ with a repertoire ranging from Roman chariot races and medieval knight shows to modern horse shows and complex dressage performances.