Welcome
Whether on stage or screen, the craft of storytelling usually takes place inside a black box—transporting audiences to worlds, lives, and narratives that reveal to heal.
Thank you for visiting my website, and for your interest in my story and the stories inside this black box. You’ll find my biography and other materials below.
Because I was blessed to have mentors in Hal Prince, Frank Galati, Terrence McNally and others, I’m including resources at the bottom of this page to help other storytellers, too.
Thanks, friend. Hope to collaborate with you soon.
Biography
Stafford Arima (he/him) is an award-winning director for stage and screen.
New York credits include Allegiance (Longacre Theatre), Ragtime: 25 Anniversary Concert (Minskoff Theatre), The Secret Garden: In Concert (David Geffen Hall), Carrie (Lucille Lortel Theater), Altar Boyz (Dodger Stages), The Tin Pan Alley Rag (Laura Pels Theatre), and bare (New World Stages).
Additional credits include Bhangin’ It (La Jolla Playhouse), Poster Boy (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Dial M For Murder (The Old Globe), and Ragtime (Paper Mill Playhouse / Piccadilly Theatre)—the West End premiere earning 8 Olivier Award nominations.
Arima serves as the Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary, helming a myriad of productions including Forgiveness, Mary and Max, The Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol, and Billy Elliot. He’s also shepherded new works at the Toronto Fringe Festival, New York Musical Theatre Festival, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and New York Stage and Film.
He’s a founding Board member of the Canadian Guild of Stage Directors and Choreographers, and a proud member of SDC and CAEA.
Photo Credit: Trudie Lee
AWARDS
Winner — Outer Critics Circle Award
Best Off-Broadway Musical
Winner — Off-Broadway Alliance Awards
Best Musical Revival
Winner — Laurence Olivier Award
Best Actress in a Musical — Maria Friedman
3x Winner — Betty Mitchell Awards
Outstanding Direction
Outstanding Production of a Play
Outstanding New Play
NOMINATIONS
7x Nominee — Laurence Olivier Awards
Best New Musical
Best Director
2x Best Actor in a Musical
Best Supporting Performance in a Musical
Best Lighting Design
Best Sound Design
3x Nominee — Betty Mitchell Awards
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama
Outstanding Projection or Video Design
Outstanding Costume Design
Forgiveness
6x Nominee — Alberta Film & Television Awards
Best Director
Best Scripted Feature
Best Screenwriter
Best Original Musical Score
Best Production Reflecting Cultural Diversity
Best Performance by an Alberta Actor
2x Nominee — Drama Desk Awards
Best Musical Revival
Carrie
Outstanding Musical
Altar Boyz
2x Nominee — Drama League Awards
Best Musical Revival
Distinguished Production of a Musical
2x Nominee — Outer Critics Circle Awards
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Best Musical Revival
Nominee — Lucille Lortel Award
Outstanding Musical
Nominee — Joe A. Callaway Award
Best Direction
Allegiance
Broadway Company & Sing Out Louise Productions
A Christmas Carol
Theatre Calgary & 4K Film Production
"I Got All I Need (This Christmas)"
Lynne Shankel, Jon Hartmere & Joe's Pub
Lynne Shankel
Artistic Director
Theatre Calgary, Canada
Bhangra Nation
(formerly Bhangin' It)
Birmingham Rep, UK
Ragtime
Piccadilly Theatre, West End, UK
Tokyo International Forum Hall, Japan
The Secret Garden
Toho Company Limited, Japan
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
Stratford Festival, Canada
Selected Credits: View More
Ragtime 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert
Minskoff Theatre
Allegiance
Longacre Theatre
Two Class Acts: Ajax & Squash
The Flea Theater
The Secret Garden in Concert
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center
Carrie
MCC Theater
New World Stages
The Tin Pan Alley Rag
Laura Pells Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company
bare
New World Stages
Saturday Night
The York Theatre Company
Ragtime in Concert
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Selected Credits: View More
Featured Press
Milestones
Baby Stafford in the early 70s.
Stafford in the mid 70s with Julie Andrew's album, A Little Bit in Love.
Stafford with Daisy Arima (Mother) in mid 70s.
Starring as Lt. Brannigan in Guys and Dolls in the mid-80s.
Total Eclipse, directed by Stafford Arima, opened March 10, 1992 at the TSP Studio Theatre in Toronto.
Rehearsals for Show Boat, directed by Hal Prince and choreography by Susan Stroman in October 1993 at the North York Performing Arts Centre in Toronto.
Stafford with Hal Prince, an early mentor, from October 17, 1993 — Toronto opening night of Show Boat.
Stafford with the late, great Marin Mazzie on the World Premiere Opening Night of Ragtime in Toronto (1996).
Seussical rehearsals with Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Mentor Frank Galati at 890 Broadway in 2000.
In March 2003, Ragtime opens in the West End — garnering 8 Olivier Award nominations.
Stafford with another friend and mentor, Terrence McNally.
Sondheim visits the company of Saturday Night at The York Theatre in November 2014.
In August 2015, Stafford becomes the first Asian Canadian to direct a musical on Broadway with Allegiance.
Allegiance opens at the Longacre Theatre on November 8, 2015.
In November 2016, the company of bare creating new recording.
Christopher Newton, original Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary, with his successor (2017).
Stafford attends the Bolshoi Ballet while visiting Moscow with Broadway Dreams in April 2017.
In 2021, Stafford joins the legends of The Lights of Broadway, created by Justin "Squigs" Robertson.
Stafford reunites with Lea Michele and her parents for the Ragtime 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert
Resources
Broadway Dreams is an organization I've been involved with since 2012. As a Faculty member, I appreciate the diversity of teachings, awakenings, and faculty members that collaborate with Broadway Dreams.
As a founding Board Member of CGDC, the opportunities for emerging and developing directors and choreographers is an essential ingredient to one's journey. The Mentee Program is a wonderful opportunities for Canadians who are interested in expanding their networks and building their experiences.
As a founding Board Member of CGDC, the opportunities for emerging and developing directors and choreographers is an essential ingredient to one's journey. The Assisants & Associates Program is a wonderful opportunities for Canadians who are interested in expanding their networks and building their experiences.
I've been a member of SDC for 20 twenty years. This program provides opportunities for emerging directors and choreographers to observe and/or support experienced directors and choreographers during the production process. When I directed Allegiance on Broadway, I had the opportunity of collaborating with Makiko Shibuya as an SDCF Observer.
Mentorship is an important experience for both the mentee and the mentor. I believe in mentorship wholeheartedly, which is why I advocated for this initiative to be implemented at Theatre Calgary.
