Robert Saxon

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Robert Saxon
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Robert Saxon

Robert Saxon is a Mercurial British theatre director, producer, actor, musician, magician, illusionist, artist and writer.[1] Once described as the enfant terrible of British performance for his no nonsense attitude and forthright, some would say brutally honest, approach to performance art and related politics, he toured the world with major stage shows Spellbound and Phantaste, and took on major classical and contemporary roles with the theatre companies RTC and Troubadours, as well as earning plaudits as a visual performer at major venues across Europe and Asia. Saxon was the feature performer at the old Wembley Stadium's VIP suite for major sporting events like The FA Cup, Budweiser Bowl, and concerts by leading artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna. Strangely he eschewed the limelight himself, concentrating on his work and ignoring the media spotlight completely.

Later he earned the sobriquet Renaissance Man when his range of performance abilities and related artistic and design skills became apparent. He gained notice as a theatre special effects designer and something of a visionary in the creation of spectacular and innovative stage illusions which he used as visual effects while directing major classical works including Shakespeare's The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

After a personal tragedy of some magnitude, Saxon turned his back on the arts completely and lived the life of a recluse for several years. Finally he returned to the arts looking for more than just performance worth, and challenged both the theatre and political establishment thinking in arts funding support and application of educational programmes. He founded The Phoenix Project[2] and began to take on unemployed performers and technicians from across the UK, forging them into working companies and getting their careers off the ground or going again. He was responsible for starting several initiatives in commercial and educational theatre, classical and contemporary dance and music, and continued to fuse all of his myriad interests into groundbreaking shows. This rapidly swelled from a simple idea to a huge organisation that covered the whole spectrum of the media industry.

Funding the entire project himself and fighting opposition from all establishment areas, he produced classical and contemporary works of theatre, founded a dance company and wrote and composed original stage musicals including The Lamp[3] and Humbug! to much acclaim. He successfully fused theatre, dance, magic, illusion [4]and circus skills long before companies like Cirque du Soleil and Archaos were well known in the UK, and fought many times with The Arts Council of Great Britain and The London Arts Board[5] to have this work and practising artists recognised and supported.

However, while his creativity and daring on-stage won him press plaudits and his vociferous and outspoken political approach earned him much praise from rank and file performers his uncompromising attitude when it came to his beliefs won him few friends in the political ranks of central and local Government, arts bodies or the higher echelons of broadcasting and theatre, whose positions, thinking and wisdom he regularly and strenuously opposed. After seven years, and in the midst of a huge construction project to realise a major multi-theatre and film and television studio site in London, Saxon suddenly and inexplicably turned his back on the whole project and disappeared from public life.

It was widely reported that Saxon was terminally ill, and in 2004 a rumour began to circulate that he had died in surgery at age 33, but these rumours were quickly dispelled when articles by him appeared in arts publications and on websites. Still he has not been seen for some time and questions remain unanswered as to what the former prodigy is doing now.

Opinions of Saxon the man differ wildly among the people who knew and worked with him, some describing him as warm, caring and compassionate, others hard, obstinate, stubborn and difficult. An early reputation for a quick and fiery temper and a predisposition to philandering gave way to that of man of charm, intelligence and altruism, who was strongly and unswervingly devoted to work, friends and a long term partner and muse it is assumed he married, though no information exists to confirm this. It is clear that he is a man of facets and complexities who guards his privacy jealously and protects his friends and family. He supported many charitable organisations and was keenly interested in children in deprived areas similar to those he grew up in, and in education, the policies for and standard of which he railed against constantly. He continued right up until his disappearance to try to link more closely the talents and abilities of those in performing arts with the education of young people, believing that in inspiring them and inflaming their imaginations lay the key to unlocking a greater understanding of communication, language and life. he condemned the culture of celebrity and spent all his time with young people trying to instil in them the understanding that fame and fortune should be the by products of excellence, not the end in themselves.

As a professional he had little time for lazy performers or those lacking dedication or professionalism. All however describe his commitment to his work, colleagues and to those he cared for, and his respect for those who worked tirelessly and tried their best as absolute and uncompromising. He has a reputation for unswerving loyalty and for keeping his word which seems universally well founded. Robert Saxon is surely the epitome of enigmatic passion.

As recently as August of 2006 there have been whispers on the London performance circuit of a new theatre company and film projects, but so far no confirmations or denials have been heard, and of the man himself, absolutely nothing. If he does return, he is sure to bring with him a passion for revolution, and a determination to shake the status quo.

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