Author and director Frank Van Laecke has established a versatile international career over the past decades. His widely acclaimed theatre work has earned him numerous national and international awards, including the Herald Angel Award in Edinburgh, the Donna Mavor Moore Award in Toronto, and a nomination for the British Laurence Olivier Award.

Van Laecke started out as a writer for successful Flemish television shows and continued - under the impulse of Linda Lepomme - as a director at the Royal Ballet of Flanders’ Musical Department. Since that moment he has directed numerous plays, operas, musicals and television shows.

He directed 'Equus' for KNS Antwerp and 'Aida'. In 2003, 'The Prince of Africa' (music by Dirk Brossé, narrator David –Poirot- Suchet) premiered. In the fall of 2003, 'Santa', a symphonic Christmas story, followed. A year later, the production was staged at the Beacon Theatre, Broadway, New York. In 2006, Vanessa Van Durme's monologue 'Look Mama, I’m Dancing' (a co-production by Swan Lake, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, La Rose des Vents - Villeneuve d’Ascq) premiered in Ghent. In 2007, the French version 'Regarde Maman, je danse' premiered at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris. The performance was acclaimed by both the audience and the press and continues to tour the UK, Australia, France, and Canada. In the fall of 2010, Frank directed 'Aida' for NTG, and shortly thereafter, the play 'Masterclass' premiered with Pia Douwes as Maria Callas. The production received unanimous praise and a nomination for the Dutch Theater Audience Award and was selected for the Theater Festival.

Also in 2010, 'Gardenia' followed, an unforgettable collaboration with Alain Platel and Les Ballets C de la B. After its overwhelming international premiere at the Avignon Festival, the production toured the world until June 2012 and was nominated for the prestigious 2012 Olivier Award. The documentary about the production won the Grand Prix in Montréal in March 2015. For 'En Avant Marche', the Platel-Van Laecke duo collaborated again. The performance was awarded the “Herald Angel Award” at the Edinburgh Festival and won the Dora Mavor Moore Award in Toronto. In 2023, a third production in collaboration with Alain Platel and Steven Prengels premiered ('Mein Gent').

Frank Van Laecke has written numerous plays (including, together with colleague Peter Römer, the 'Assisen – cycle' which inspired the TV series of the same name) and was responsible for the final direction of 'Sono Io' and 'Da Capo', the acclaimed productions of Circus Ronaldo.

Frank Van Laecke directed the musicals 'Hollywood by Night', 'Je Anne', 'Jesus Christ Superstar', 'Jubilee 15', 'She Loves Me' (four nominations for the Flemish Musical Awards), the European premiere of 'Jekyll & Hyde', 'Annie', 'Oliver!' (nomination for Best Director), 'Yours Anne', 'Rembrandt' (four nominations, two awards), 'The Sound of Music', 'My Fair Lady', 'Camelot', 'The King and I', 'Anatevka' (nomination for Best Director), 'Tell Me on a Sunday' and 'Domino' (Audience Award 2012). On September 15, 2001, 'Tintin and the Temple of the Sun' premiered in Antwerp, a spectacular adventurous musical written by Van Laecke in collaboration with composer Dirk Brossé and lyricist Seth Gaaikema. Van Laecke directed it for the Antwerp production company Tabas & Co in collaboration with Moulinsart. The French version of the show, adapted by Didier Van Cauwelaert, was called the best French spoken theatrical event of 2002 by French theatre magazine Télémoustique. The musical received eight nominations at the Flemish Musical Awards 2007 and Van Laecke won the award for Best Director. He also directed 'Dracula', which was nominated for 10 Flemish Musical Awards, including best direction.
In October 2008, the musical 'Daens' (Studio 100) premiered. Frank directed the production and wrote the script and lyrics with Allard Blom. Dirk Brossé composed the music. Both the press and the public loved Daens: it received an impressive 13 nominations at the Musical Awards, winning eight including. Frank was named "Best Director" in 2009. The musical 'Ben X', based on a book by Nic Balthazar, took musical to a whole different level. This quirky production about a boy suffering from autism received rave reviews.

2014 was a year of extremes for Van Laecke. After having directed the intimate 'Pauline and Paulette' (Judas Productions) he went on with the musical spectacle '14-18' (Studio 100). 14-18 attracted 335,000 visitors and received many awards, such as the Golden Label for musical theatre in Belgium.
In 2018, the spectacle musical '40-45' followed. This production was also named Best Musical of the Year and received a Golden Label. The number of visitors reached 750,000. 40-45 was followed by 'Everybody Famous' (a musical based on the film by Dominique Deruddere), 'Gaston and Leo', a new version of Daens, and the creation of 'De Red Star Line'. For MediaLane, he directed the highly acclaimed 'Diana and Sons' (2021) and 'Sweeney Todd', which was voted Best Musical of 2023.

Frank’s great love, however, is opera. He has directed 'La Bohème', 'La Traviata', 'Nabucco', 'Aida', 'Carmen', 'I Pagliacci', 'Cavalleria Rusticana', 'Don Pasquale', 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail', 'Faust', 'Tosca', 'Manon Lescaut', 'Madama Butterfly' (praised as the Best Dutch Opera Production of 2012), 'Peter Grimes', 'Kat’a Kabanova', 'Lucia di Lammermoor', 'The Maid of Orléans', 'I Capuleti e I Montecchi', 'Hamlet', and 'Tannhäuser'.