Mark Rosenblatt

Mark Rosenblatt
Born1977 or 1978 (age 48–49)
Alma materUniversity of Oxford
Spouse
Amy Abrahams
​
(m. 2018)​
Children2
AwardsLaurence Olivier Award for Best New Play
Websitemarkrosenblatt.com

Mark Rosenblatt (born 1977 or 1978) is a British director and writer, best known for his debut play Giant, which won three Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play.

Early life and education

Mark Rosenblatt was born in 1977 or 1978 and grew up in a Jewish family in North London. His father Harvey's family emigrated from Belarus, and his mother Linda lost many relatives in the Holocaust.[1] He has a younger brother named Jonathan.[2][3] He attended St Paul's School, London (where he performed with Rory Kinnear) and the University of Oxford, later becoming an assistant director at the Oxford Stage Company.[3]

Career

Rosenblatt spent twenty-five years as a theatre director, with Giant being the first play he wrote, an experience he has deemed "extremely lucky".[3][4][5] He has directed productions at numerous theatres, including Shakespeare's Globe, the National Theatre and the New National Theatre, Tokyo.[1] Rosenblatt was appointed the associate director of the Leeds Playhouse in 2013, and went on to help develop new work at the National Theatre.[3][6]

In 2019, Rosenblatt wrote and directed the short film Ganef, which qualified for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2022.[3] He also co-wrote feature film Making Noise Quietly, which was released in 2019.[7]

Rosenblatt's first play, Giant, follows Roald Dahl shortly after publishing an allegedly antisemitic review of the picture book God Cried.[8] Rosenblatt has cited the discourse surrounding the inquiry into antisemitism in the British Labour Party as a motivator to explore Dahl's antisemitism. Looking for a playwright to develop the idea, he approached fellow director Nicholas Hytner for recommendations, but Hytner suggested that Rosenblatt write it himself.[1]

Giant premiered in 2024 at the Royal Court Theatre (a theatre noted for accusations of antisemitism)[9] before transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End in 2025. The show later transferred to Broadway in 2026, with all productions starring John Lithgow as Dahl. The London production won three Laurence Olivier Awards from five nominations, and the Broadway production has received four nominations at the 79th Tony Awards.[10][11]

Rosenblatt also serves as a facilitator of the Jewish Playwrights Programme, run by the Jewish Literary Foundation.[12] As of June 2026, he is "under commission" with the Royal Court to write his next play.[5]

Personal life

Rosenblatt lives in North London with his wife, Amy Abrahams, and their two sons.[3] Rosenblatt describes himself as a British Jew, and does not believe in God.[1][6] In interviews with Haaretz and The Times, Rosenblatt has shared that despite his play Giant depicting the antisemitic views held by Roald Dahl, he still reads Dahl's children stories to his sons.[1][13][14]

Awards

Rosenblatt won the JMK Young Director Award in 1999, for his production of The Dybbuk.[1][2][3]

Organisation Year[a] Category Nominated work Result Ref(s)
Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards 2025 Best New Play Giant Won [15]
Most Promising Playwright Won
Laurence Olivier Awards 2025 Best New Play Won [16]
The Stage Debut Awards 2025 Best Creative West End Debut Won [17]
Outer Critics Circle Awards 2026 Outstanding New Broadway Play Nominated [18]
Drama League Awards 2026 Outstanding Production of a Play Nominated [19]
Dorian Theater Awards 2026 Outstanding Broadway Play Nominated [20][21]
Tony Awards 2026 Best Play Nominated [22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Indicates the year of the ceremony.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Yaron, Lee (15 May 2026). "'Roald Dahl probably wouldn't like a Jew like me. I still read him to my son'". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 17 May 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Friedman, Dan (5 May 2026). "Tony nominee Mark Rosenblatt's Giant journey began with Menachem Begin". The Forward. Archived from the original on 9 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lahr, John (9 March 2026). "Giant Takes on Roald Dahl and His Antisemitism". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  4. ↑ Tran, Diep (14 May 2026). "Giant Is the 1st Play Mark Rosenblatt Ever Wrote, Now It's Nominated for a Best Play Tony Award". Playbill. Archived from the original on 15 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 Hemley, Matthew (8 June 2026). "Mark Rosenblatt: Writing is a precarious profession". The Stage. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 Nathan, John (19 September 2024). "'Why I tackled Roald Dahl's antisemitism in my Royal Court play'". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Evans, Greg (31 March 2026). "Giant Playwright Mark Rosenblatt Signs With CAA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Lichtig, Toby (11 October 2024). "Drawing him out: A new play looking back at Roald Dahl's antisemitism". The Times Literary Supplement. Archived from the original on 9 December 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Cohen, Alexander (16 September 2024). "Mark Rosenblatt on his Royal Court play exploring antisemitism, dangerous rhetoric and Roald Dahl". The Stage. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Olivier awards 2025: full list of winners". The Guardian. 6 April 2025. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Sherman, Rachel (5 May 2026). "Tony Awards Nominations 2026: The Complete List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Boitel, Flore (16 October 2025). "Mark Rosenblatt backs programme to support Jewish playwriting". The Stage. Archived from the original on 17 October 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Bannerman, Lucy (13 September 2024). "Roald Dahl hated Jewish people like me — but I don't want to cancel him". The Times. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Richman, Darren (18 June 2025). "How Roald Dahl play Giant turned a director into a writer". Jewish News. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Wiegand, Chris (27 March 2025). "Robert Icke's modern-day Oedipus triumphs at Critics' Circle theatre awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Wiegand, Chris (6 April 2025). "Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Wood, Alex (28 September 2025). "The Stage Debut Awards announces 2025 winners". WhatsOnStage.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (11 May 2026). "Schmigadoon!, Ragtime Win Big at 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards; Read the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Archived from the original on 17 May 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Evans, Greg (15 May 2026). "Joshua Henry, Liberation, Ragtime Among Drama League Winners". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 16 May 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  20. ↑ Cristi, A. A. (13 May 2026). "Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys Lead 2026 Dorian Award Nominations". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on 15 May 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  21. ↑ Eckmann, Sam (13 May 2026). "2026 Dorian Theater Awards: Schmigadoon! leads the field with 9 nominations". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on 19 May 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  22. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (7 June 2026). "Tony awards 2026: full list of winners". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
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