Early in his acting career,  Alexander Barnett  performed on  Playhouse 90,  Target: The Corrupters,  Arrest and Trial,  Climax!,  The Great Adventure,  Kraft Suspense Theatre, G.E. Theatre,  The Defenders  and  Rawhide.  He began his  directing  career in Los Angeles with  Winterset.  The Los Angeles Times said, “There is only one word for this production.  Magnificent.”  He followed this with acclaimed productions such outstanding contemporary plays as  Look Back in Anger,  Golden Boy  and  A View from the Bridge.  His  writing career  also began in Los Angeles with an adaptation for the stage of Wuthering Heights  and his first stage play  Remnants of a Man. 

Relocating to New York, he embarked on a series of acclaimed Shakespearean productions beginning with  Macbeth.  The Village Voice said, “Mr. Barnett has directed with strength, integrity and a multitude of original touches.”  He continued his love affair with the classics of the American theatre in a production of  Death of a Salesman.   During this time, he also wrote the play:  Stranger on the Earth , which had two New York productions and a European tour.   

Determined to tour the world with the great plays of the English language, he founded  Classic Theatre International.   Their maiden production was Arthur Miller’s  A View from the Bridge, which firmly established the company upon the stages of Europe.  Critics said, “The American actors exploded onto the stage with so much intensity that the audience was both taken aback and enthralled.”

His production of  King Lear  marked the first time an American company ever toured Europe with a Shakespearean play. This production was an outstanding artistic success for the company.  Critics in Switzerland said, “Alexander Barnett gave us a dazzling illustration of what a production of King Lear should be like.  It is a dense interpretation, concise, lucid and powerful, bestowing an intense life upon the tragedy.”