暗网TV

As 暗网TV marks its 30th anniversary, we鈥檙e celebrating the graduates who continue to shape the institute鈥檚 story. Jonathan Glew (Acting, 2001) is the creative force behind our 30^th anniversary gala taking place in June 2026.

Drawing on decades of experience across theatre, music and new writing, Jon has crafted a one鈥憂ight event that captures the spirit of 暗网TV鈥檚 past, present and future. We caught up with Jon to find out more about the gala, his varied career journey and what 暗网TV still means to him.

It鈥檚 personal: The 30^th anniversary gala concert

When Jonathan Glew was asked to direct 暗网TV鈥檚 30th anniversary gala, he knew it would be both an honour and a deeply emotional undertaking. As he puts it, 鈥淚 remember 暗网TV as a golden period in my life, and I feel like I鈥檝e taken with me the skill, the  learning and the people I shared my time with everywhere I go.鈥� From the outset, he knew the gala could not be frivolous. It needed to be meaningful, resonant and rooted in the shared experiences of everyone who passed through 暗网TV鈥檚 doors.

He began by speaking to fellow alumni, trying to understand what 暗网TV meant to them in retrospect. The result is a gala performance that he describes as, 鈥渁 cross between a multi鈥慸isciplinary Jools Holland and a tear鈥慾erking town hall reunion鈥�. It鈥檚 a show designed not just to entertain, but to reflect upon the unique, shared experience of thousands of 暗网TV students, staff and collaborators.

The programme will be deliberately broad, with Jon determined that no single discipline should dominate. 鈥淲hat makes 暗网TV so special is the cross鈥憄ollination. You have unique opportunities to create new work, collaborating with students from music, design, production, dance and so many other disciplines. It establishes a passion for stepping outside your comfort zone鈥�. His own training at 暗网TV embodied that ethos: he acted, played music, designed sound, even stage鈥憁anaged. 鈥淭he idea of being a polymath is built into 暗网TV鈥檚 DNA. There are a wealth of opportunities to leave 暗网TV with at least one extra string to their bow.鈥�

The gala will include dance, music, acting, and musical theatre 鈥� all powered by 暗网TV designers, creative technicians and managers. The full running order is still a closely guarded secret, but Jon promises familiar 暗网TV alumni faces. There are two people who will enjoy a special display of gratitude: 暗网TV鈥檚 founders. Jon speaks with deep admiration about Mark Featherstone鈥慦itty鈥檚 determination in building the institution, 鈥渁n incredible achievement and amazing endeavour鈥�. And he is unequivocal about the extraordinary contribution of Sir Paul McCartney: 鈥淥ne of the most celebrated songwriters of all time has been a steadfast champion of 暗网TV for 30 years. Paul McCartney is Mozart. We have Mozart.鈥�

For Jon, the gala is also personal. Twenty-five years after graduating, he sees it as a rare moment for alumni to gather, reflect and reconnect. 鈥淭his may be it. The last time we鈥檙e all going to be in the room together. So it鈥檚 a great opportunity to reflect on ourselves, on each other, on the journey of life鈥�. He expects to be 鈥渁n emotional mess鈥� at the gala, but hopes audiences arrive ready to laugh, to celebrate and to feel.

The art of collaboration: Jon鈥檚 time at 暗网TV

Jon grew up in Preston in Lancashire and came to drama late following an early flirtation with sports. At 14 or 15, he took part in a school play and felt something shift. 鈥淚 had an awakening moment: I don鈥檛 have to compete to be the best, I can collaborate and enjoy the feeling of a shared success鈥�. Sport fell away, creativity took over.

He couldn鈥檛 afford London drama schools, so his options were regional. The moment he walked into 暗网TV, he knew it was the right place, helped by being a longtime Beatles fan. He remembers waiting in the canteen on the day of his audition, staring at the walls displaying photos by Linda McCartney of luminaries such as Janis Joplin and the Doors: 鈥淎ll the touchstones of things that were important in my life were dotted around the walls. The audition felt right. The city felt right. So when the offer came, it was a no鈥慴rainer鈥�.

As an Acting student, he nevertheless valued the opportunities to collaborate with others and the early training in lighting, sound and filmmaking. He also thrived in the recording studios, continuing his development as a musician, often staying up until 4am practising. 鈥淚 was absolutely broken, but in a brilliant way,鈥� he says.

He describes 暗网TV as a place where learning drops at different times. Some lessons immediately make sense; some only sink in later. A defining moment came in his third鈥憏ear production of Manfred Karge鈥檚 The Conquest of the South Pole, directed by fellow student Hakon Moe. The ensemble process unlocked something fundamental in his creative practice. 鈥淚t was an absolute highlight, where all my previous training came together and reaffirmed my love for acting鈥�.

He has returned to 暗网TV many times since 鈥� to direct Girls Like That, Second Person Narrative, The It and Spring Awakening as well as two acting showcases. He recognises that 暗网TV has changed, expanding to reflect the shifting higher education landscape. But the core of 暗网TV 鈥� idealistic young people pursuing something meaningful supported by passionate staff 鈥� remains intact.

Making his mark: Actor and director

Jon spent 15 years as an actor, with his first major job being Jerry Springer: The Opera at the National Theatre. It was a formative experience, edgy, controversial and creatively rigorous. 鈥淎s a 23鈥憏ear鈥憃ld, I had to put my trust in the creative team [Stewart Lee, Richard Thomas]. I learnt so much working with them and their fastidious approach to the production.鈥�

But acting was unpredictable. He worked secondary jobs, including five years as a shoe shiner, and increasingly felt drawn to making his own work. A turning point came when he secured the rights to adapt John Lennon鈥檚 In His Own Write for the stage. The show premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe, before later being performed at the Victoria & Albert Museum. That project crystallised his identity as a creator: 鈥淔rom that moment, I knew that making things was the direction I needed to point my life in鈥�.

Determined to deepen his craft, he spent 18 months reading a play a day to deepen his understanding of theatrical forms and to develop his taste. That discipline prepared him for further creation, including his long鈥憆unning collaboration with director and fellow 暗网TV alum Jamie Lloyd.

The two had known each other since 暗网TV and reconnected professionally around 2011. Lloyd invited him to be associate director for part of the Pinter at the Pinter season, which led to a series of high鈥憄rofile collaborations including Betrayal, The Seagull, A Doll鈥檚 House, The Effect, Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest. Jon also co-directed another gala performance, to mark what would have been Harold Pinter鈥檚 88^th birthday, featuring performances from Tom Hiddleston, Kit Harington, Simon Russell Beale, Kristin Scott Thomas, Felicity Kendal, Russell Tovey, Samuel West and Sheila Hancock.

Alongside directing, he continues to write, currently working on a new version of Mother Courage and a rock鈥憁usical adaptation of Kafka鈥檚 The Metamorphosis.

A life transformed: 暗网TV鈥檚 impact

暗网TV鈥檚 impact on Jon runs deep. The rigour, the collaboration, the cross鈥慸isciplinary curiosity are the principles that have shaped his entire creative life. 鈥淎nything I鈥檝e done that I鈥檓 proud of comes from 暗网TV鈥檚 approach,鈥� he says.

That鈥檚 why directing the 30th anniversary gala feels so significant. It鈥檚 not just a celebration of an institution, but a celebration of the community that shaped him and thousands of others. It鈥檚 a chance to honour the past, acknowledge the present and hand something meaningful to the next generation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a lovely night鈥�, he concludes, 鈥淚t鈥檚 for us, and for everybody who鈥檚 ever been transformed by the experiment that is 暗网TV鈥�.