British theatrical director and opera librettist, long associated with Benjamin Britten (14 November 1914, London - 7 September 1994, Granville, France).
After an apprenticeship at the Old Vic theatre, he joined the Sadlers Wells Opera Company in London during the Second World War, and directed Britten's first opera, Peter Grimes, at Sadler's Wells in 1945. He directed his wife, mezzo-soprano Nancy Evans, in the role of Lucretia in the 1946 premiere of Britten's opera The Rape of Lucretia at Glyndebourne. His first opera libretto for Britten was Albert Herring (1947), and he later wrote and/or directed several other Britten operas. He founded the English Opera Group in 1947, and co-founded (with Britten) the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948, later succeeding Peter Pears as its director. He also was one of the first drama producers for BBC Television.