Stafford Arima (he/him) is an award-winning director for stage and screen.
With 25+ years of experience in the global entertainment industry, he became the first Asian Canadian to direct a musical on Broadway when Allegiance opened at the Longacre Theatre, starring George Takei and Lea Salonga. Arima directed the West End premiere of Ragtime, earning 8 Olivier Award nominations, including Best Director.
Arima is currently the Artistic Director at Theatre Calgary where he has helmed a number of productions since 2017 including Forgiveness, Mary and Max, The Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol, and Billy Elliot. Arima has also shepherded new musical ... read more
Broadway/Tours: Elf, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Spiderman Turn Off The Dark, A Life in the Theatre, Million Dollar Quartet, The Addams Family, Memphis, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, In the Heights, Wicked, 9 to 5, South Pacific, Peepshow in Vegas. Off-Broadway: Atlantic, MCC, Signature. Film: Margin Call, Howl, Sex and the City 1 & 2, Jonah Hex, Main Street, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, I Love You Phillip Morris, Rachel Getting Married, Dan in Real Life, Then She Found Me, Across the Universe, Ira & Abby, Rent, Pieces of April, Camp, The Grey Zone, Finding ... read more
