John Ramster
John Ramster (director) was born in East Anglia; he read History at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and began his professional career as assistant to the late Clare Venables. An elected Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, he has been Drama Lecturer for Royal Academy Opera for the last six years.
As Director his productions include: The Marriage of Figaro and Hansel and Gretel for Opera Theatre Company in Ireland, L’elisir d’amore and Don Giovanni for Opera Faber in Portugal and Spain, La Calisto, The Rape of Lucretia, Rinaldo, La finta giardiniera, School For Fathers, The Choice of Hercules (RAM), The Marriage of Figaro for Mid-Wales Opera (nominated for a Prudential award), L’elisir d’amore (Mid-Wales), Rigoletto (Pimlico Opera), The Magic Flute (Garden Opera), Così fan tutte, Falstaff (London Opera Players), L’enfant et les sortilèges, Doctor Miracle, Semele, and Eugene Onegin (Birmingham Conservatoire). Most recently he has directed the UK stage premiere of Bloch’s Macbeth (UCO) and Hänsel und Gretel for the RAO.
As Assistant Director he has worked for the Glyndebourne Festival and Tour, reviving the noted productions of Theodora, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte, working with the directors Peter Sellars, Deborah Warner, Graham Vick and Trevor Nunn; he assisted on Lloyd-Webber’s Joseph (Palladium) and Handel’s Giulio Cesare (Covent Garden).
As director and tutor he has worked at all the main London colleges, Casa da Música studio in Porto, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama. In 1999 John’s novel Ladies’ Man was published, with seven foreign editions. His television work includes several episodes of the Sky comedy drama Mile High. He is currently preparing the text for Samuel Quartermaine Smith’s new song cycle Elizabeth: Songs of Autobiography about Queen Elizabeth I.