Eric Simonson
| Eric Simonson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 27, 1960 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Occupation | American playwright and stage director |
| Notable work(s) |
Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin |
Eric Simonson (born June 27, 1960, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American writer and director in theatre, film and opera. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 1993 for The Song of Jacob Zulu.[1]
Biography
Personal life
Simonson was born in Milwaukee but grew up on a farm in the small town of Eagle. After graduating with a B.A. in Theatre from Lawrence University, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin for a short period, where he worked with the then fledgling Ark Repertory Theatre. He moved to Chicago in 1983, where he helped found Lifeline Theatre, and eventually worked with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He became a member of the theatre’s ensemble in 1993.
Simonson now lives in Los Angeles, but often works throughout the United States. In 2004 he married theatre producer Susan Raab; she died of breast cancer in 2006, aged 37. They had one child.[2]
Career
Simonson is the writer (with Jeffrey Hatcher) of Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright, which was commissioned by Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and was subsequently was produced across the United States. His film A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin won the 2005 Academy Award for Short Subject Documentary.[3] He also directed the premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie's opera The Grapes of Wrath at Minnesota Opera in 2007. In 2007 he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
His recent plays, Lombardi/The Only Thing (Madison Repertory Theatre), Carter's Way (Steppenwolf Theatre)[4] and Slaughterhouse-Five (Godlight Theatre of New York) received premieres in 2008. Honest premiered at Carthage College in 2009 and was then part of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's 5th Annual First Look Repertory of New Work. The Carthage production traveled to the 2010 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (Region 3). Simonson's play Lombardi ran on Broadway from October 2010 to May 2011.[5]
Simonson's Louder Faster, co-authored with Jeffrey Hatcher, premiered at City Theatre in Pittsburgh in May 2011. His play, Magic/Bird, premiered on Broadway in March 2012.[6]
His new play, Bronx Bombers, about the New York Yankees, opened Off-Broadway on September 20, 2013 and closed on October 19 in a Primary Stages production.[7][8] The play opens on Broadway on January 19, 2014 (previews), officially on February 6 at the Circle in the Square Theatre, starring Peter Scolari and Tracy Shayne.[9]
References
- ↑ Internet Broadway Database
- ↑ Lynne Heffley, "Susan Raab Simonson...was a producer for nationally known L.A. Theatre Works", Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2006
- ↑ "2005 Academy Awards". oscars.org. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ↑ Review on broadwayworld.com
- ↑ "Lombardi, IBDb profile". The Broadway League. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
- ↑ "Magic/Bird, Basketball-Themed Play by Eric Simonson, Aiming for Broadway in 2012" playbill.com
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Primary Stages' 'Bronx Bombers', Starring Christopher Jackson, Richard Topol and Wendy Makkena, Begins Off-Broadway Sept. 20" playbill.com, September 20, 2013
- ↑ "Upcoming season". primarystages.org. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Yankees Drama 'Bronx Bombers', Starring Peter Scolari and Tracy Shayne, Begins Broadway Performances Jan. 10" playbill.com, January 19, 2014
External links
- Eric Simonson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Eric Simonson at the Internet Movie Database
- Eric Simonson at the Steppenwolf Theatre web site
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