Sir Michael Boyd (1955-2025) was one of Britain's leading theatre directors. Trained in Moscow, he served as Artistic Director of the Tron Theatre, Glasgow (1985-96) and the Royal Shakespeare Company (2002-12). During his tenure at the RSC he commissioned and developed Matilda the Musical, produced the Complete Works and World Shakespeare Festivals, oversaw the £112 million transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and directed the acclaimed eight-play History Cycle, winner of four Olivier Awards.

Theatre and opera credits include: Medea (Edinburgh International Festival), Orfeo (Royal Opera House at the Roundhouse), Eugene Onegin, Pelléas et Mélisande and Don Giovanni (Garsington Opera), Tamburlaine (Theatre for a New Audience and the RSC), Tony Kushner's iHo and Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's The King of Hell's Palace (Hampstead Theatre), Will Eno's Open House and Hansol Jung's Wild Goose Dreams, and The Cherry Orchard (Bristol Old Vic and Royal Exchange Theatre). He was Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at the Universities of Oxford and Michigan, and was knighted in 2012 for services to drama.