Dr Paul Ewing

Founder, Siam Repertory Theatre Company | Founder, Catalyst Entertainment

Industry : The Arts

A largely forgotten chapter of Thailand’s theatrical heritage is returning to the stage through Dr Paul Ewing. As founder of Siam Repertory Theatre Company and Catalyst Entertainment, the actor, director, producer, presenter and composer has built a career around performance – and an increasingly significant bridge between British and Thai creative communities.

Ewing began as a child actor and later presented more than 250 episodes of BBC programmes including Tikkabilla and Words and Pictures. His stage career took him to the Royal Shakespeare Company, Young Vic and Riding Lights Theatre; he also became the first Black actor to play the title role in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus. As a producer, he brought Dracula from Southeast Asia to 10 theatres across the UK and served as associate producer of The Man in the White Suit in London’s West End.

Thailand has inspired another dimension of his work. He composed Love Eternally for King Rama IX’s 85th birthday and has collaborated with artists including Hugo and Da Endorphine. In 2022, Queen Margaret University awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts.

Now, through Siam Repertory Theatre Company, Ewing is reviving King Rama VI’s English-language plays, many unperformed for more than a century. By bringing together artists from Thailand and the UK to create performances and new adaptations, he is preserving a remarkable repertoire while opening it to contemporary audiences – and giving cultural recovery the energy of living theatre.