Stafford Arima

Who is Stafford Arima?

Stafford Arima is a Canadian-born theatre director. Arima studied at York University in Toronto, where he was the recipient of the Dean's Prize for Excellence in Creative Work. He is a proud member of SDC.

He directed the "revisal" of the infamous Broadway musical, Carrie for MCC Theater. Richard Zoglin of Time Magazine said in his review of the recent production that "...this Carrie has real weight and emotional conviction, and it engaged me more than a lot of musicals I’ve seen lately...This show has guts." Arima also directed the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz, which received the 2005 Best Musical Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Musical. Music and lyrics are by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker, and book is by Kevin Del Aguila.

Other work includes the West End premiere of the Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens musical Ragtime, which was recognized in 2004 with eight Olivier Award nominations including Best Director and Best Musical; and a recent concert-production of Ragtime which was presented at Lincoln Center in 2013; Allegiance opened September 2012 at Old Globe Theatre in San Diego featuring Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and George Takei; Bare: A Pop Opera; Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris; Roundabout Theatre Company's production of The Tin Pan Alley Rag; My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding; The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea; Esther Demsack; Bowfire; Leonard Bernstein’s Candide; Ace; The Secret Garden; "A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim"; Paul Scott Goodman's Bright Lights, Big City; Guys and Dolls; 2009 Tisch Gala; Abyssinia; Chef’s Theater; Rags - In Concert; Christopher Hampton’s Total Eclipse; and Children's Letters to God.