Stafford Arima


Stafford Arima is a Canadian-born theatre director living in Calgary, Alberta. 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 member of SDC. In April 2017 he became the artistic director of Theatre Calgary.

Career

Arima became the first Asian Canadian to direct a musical on Broadway when Allegiance opened on November 8, 2015 at the Longacre Theatre starring George Takei and Lea Salonga.
He directed the "revisal" of the musical, Carrie, with book by Lawrence D. Cohen, music by Michael Gore and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, for MCC Theater. The production opened Off-Broadway in March 2012 and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical).
Arima directed the critically acclaimed musical Altar Boyz, which opened Off-Broadway at New World Stages/ Stage IV in March 2005. The musical received the 2005 Best Off-Broadway Musical Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Drama League Award as Outstanding Musical.
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; concert-productions of The Secret Garden and Ragtime which were presented at Lincoln Center in 2016 and 2013; The Secret Garden ; Two Class Acts by A.R. Gurney ; ; Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris ; Roundabout Theatre Company's production of The Tin Pan Alley Rag; The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea ; The New World ; Bowfire ; Leonard Bernstein’s Candide ; Poster Boy ; Ace ; Red Velvet ; "A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim" ; Paul Scott Goodman's Bright Lights, Big City ; Guys and Dolls ; Abyssinia ; Chef’s Theater ; Rags - In Concert ; Christopher Hampton’s Total Eclipse ; and Children's Letters to God.
Arima served as associate director for the Broadway productions of A Class Act and Seussical.
In addition to Arima’s directing work, he is the Artistic Advisor for Broadway Dreams and an adjunct professor at UC Davis where he was awarded the 2013 “Granada Artists-in-Residence.”