Bil Keating is an Irish television and theatre director, lighting designer and tutor. Keating was born in the Liberties of Dublin.Working as a messenger boy from the age of thirteen he fell in love with the theatre and attended as many shows as his meagre income allowed. He became something of a “Stage door Johnny”, waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of the actors and being rewarded with their autographs. At eighteen he took the boat for Liverpool and began searching for work. The first job he was offered was as an usher in the Liverpool Empire. This was, he decided, a sign of his destiny, and he crossed the road to the Liverpool Playhouse, where in a matter of hours he landed a position more to his liking. Based in the workshop he began to learn the rudiments of stagecraft and watched rehearsals at every opportunity. A four-decades career was launched. In a relatively short period, he moved from washing canvas and sweeping the stage to being artistic director of a theatre club in the heart of London, where he directed most of the productions. This was followed by many years as director at the following: Richmond, York, Bromley, Clacton-on-sea, Guildford, Harrogate, Kettering, Salisbury, Colchester, Belfast and Leicester. A British Arts Council award for directing followed by two years as a drama director at the BBC brought his history up to 1968, when he accepted an invitation to join RTÉ Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Keating received many awards, including a Jacob's Award for his contribution to music. His notable stage productions include: Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, My Astonishing Self with Donal Donnelly, Star of Erin and other plays, revues and music based shows. Now in semi-retirement he continues to work in theatre and television as a freelance contract director. The Hostage is one of his favourite pieces, perhaps because it was the first play he ever directed. Little did he know then that he would later be recommended by Samuel French as something of an authority on the play and chalk up no less than 14productions in the UK and advise on scripting and technical matters as far afield as Chingola and Santiago.
