His father, Claude Jocelyn Delabere May, was a doctor, and his mother, whose maiden name was Olive Gilbert, was a descendant of W.S.
[1] Val May's first professional engagement was in 1950, when he directed Jean Cocteau's The Typewriter at the Watergate Theatre in London.
[4] Also in 1959, the Nottingham company's production of Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall's comedy Celebration was transferred to London's Duchess Theatre.
[2] An early success was Erwin Piscator's adaptation of War and Peace, translated by Robert David MacDonald, which had its British premiere in Bristol in February 1962 and was performed at the London Old Vic that summer.
[2][6] May also directed the world premiere production of Frank Marcus's lesbian-themed comedy The Killing of Sister George at the Bristol Old Vic in 1965.
[1] In the early 1970s, May supervised architect Peter Moro's redesign of the Theatre Royal, the Bristol Old Vic's home.
His productions included Neil Simon's Little Me at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1984 and Royce Ryton's The Royal Baccarat Scandal at the 1988 Chichester Festival.
[3] From 1993 to 1996, May directed the Ludlow Festival, which presented The Taming of the Shrew, Richard III and King Lear during his tenure.