Philip Wm. McKinley has directed record-breaking productions from Broadway to Salzburg to Tokyo. His production of “Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark” with the music by Bono and The Edge is one of the top 20 all-time box office grossing productions in Broadway history, while”Mozart L’Opera Rock”broke Tokyo’s theatrical box office record. McKinley directed “West Side Story” starring Cecilia Bartoli with Gustavo Dudamel conducting for the Salzburg Music Festival, the first musical ever to be presented in the festival’s 100-year history. His other directing accomplishments include the five-time Tony nominated Broadway musical “The Boy from Oz” starring Hugh Jackman and the revival of “The Most Happy Fella” starring Paul Sorvino at the New York City Opera. McKinley direction of the latest edition of the aqua spectacular “Le Rêve – The Dream” at the Wynn Theater in Las Vegas recently won “Best Show In Las Vegas.” He directed one of the most successful Broadway Cares events featuring 342 Broadway performers including Bea Arthur, Petula Clark, Judy Kaye, Andrea McArdle, Bebe Neuwirth, K.T. Oslin, Gwen Verdon, B.D. Wong and Rachel Welch. McKinley has worked with theater, film and TV notables such as Phyllis Diller, David Ogden Stiers, Val Kilmer, Robert Cucioli, Reeve Carney, Patrick Page, as well as Tony Award winners, Hugh Jackman, Betty Buckley, Karen Olivo, Kristen Chenoweth and Stephanie J. Block.
His most recent project is a production of “That Woman – Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor” for the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He is presently developing, with Pulitzer and Tony Nominated playwright Anna Deavere Smith, a biographical musical about the life of Ella Fitzgerald titled ELLA.
McKinley has taught master classes for more than a decade and believes in passing along the knowledge and the skills he has accumulated to the new generation of performers so they can pursue their dreams. His motto is: Dream the impossible and make it possible.
Phil has a passion for educating pre-professional and professional artists. He is offering Voice, Acting, and Combination sessions on the ICD platform. Follow up sessions and continued support will be offered after your first session is complete. If you have any questions, email info@icoachdance.com.