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Michael Greif

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Michael Greif
Born1959 (age 64–65)
Brooklyn, New York, United States
OccupationTheater director

Michael Greif (born ca. 1959) is a stage director, born in Brooklyn, New York.[1] He has won three Obie Awards and received four Tony Award nominations, for Rent, Grey Gardens, Next to Normal, and Dear Evan Hansen.

Career

Greif attended Northwestern University[1] and graduated from the University of California, San Diego graduate directing program. He was the Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse, LaJolla, California from 1994 to 1999.[2]

He was an Artistic Associate at the New York Theatre Workshop where he directed, among others, Bright Lights, Big City (1998–99) and the original production of Rent[3] for which he received the Obie Award for direction of a musical[4] and later directed on Broadway.

Grief has directed six original Broadway musicals and been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical four times. In addition to Rent, his Broadway credits include If/Then (also at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C.), Next to Normal (also at Second Stage Theatre and Arena Stage), Grey Gardens (also at Playwrights Horizons), Dear Evan Hansen (also at Arena Stage and Second Stage)[5][6], and War Paint which opened in June 2016 at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago.[7]

Among his many directing credits Off-Broadway are Katori Hall's Our Lady of Kibeho, John Guare's Landscape of the Body and A Few Stout Individuals at the Signature Theater,[8] Beauty of the Father for the Manhattan Theatre Club,[9] and Romeo and Juliet, Winter's Tale, and The Tempest at the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Delacorte Theater (2007, 2010, 2015).[10]

In 2009, Greif directed Mrs. Sharp, with music and lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver, at Playwrights Horizons starring Jane Krakowski.

Work (selected)

La Jolla Playhouse
  • The Three Cuckolds (1986)
  • What The Butler Saw (Joe Orton) (1992)
  • Thérèse Raquin (Neal Bell adaption of Zola) (1994)
  • Slavs! (Tony Kushner) 1995)
  • Faust (Randy Newman) (1995)
  • Boy (Diana Son) (1996)
  • Sweet Bird of Youth (1999)
  • Our Town (2001)

Williamstown Theater Festival

  • Therese Racquin (1994)
  • The Seagull (1995)
  • Tonight at 8:30 (2001)
  • Strew Scene (2002)
  • Once in a Lifetime (2003)
  • Landscape of the Body (2004)
  • The Cherry Orchard (2005)
  • The Three Sisters (2008)
  • Far From Heaven (2011)
Broadway
Guthrie Theater
Off-Broadway

New York Theater Workshop

  • 70 scenes of Halloween (1986)
  • RENT (1996)
  • Bright Lights, Big City (1998)
  • Cave-Dweller (2002)

The Public Theater

  • Machinal (1990)
  • A Bright Room Called Day (1991)
  • Casanova (1991)
  • Pericles (1992)
  • Marisol (1994)
  • Dogeaters (2001)
  • Satellites (2006)
  • The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide... (2010)
  • Giant (2012)

Signature Theater

  • A Few Stout Individuals (2002)
  • Landscape of the Body (2006)
  • Angels in America (2010)

Playwrights Horizons

  • Spatter Pattern (2004)
  • Grey Gardens (2006)
  • Far From Heaven (2013)

Second Stage

  • Spike Heels (1993)
  • Next to Normal (2008)
  • Boy's Life (2011)
  • Dear Evan Hansen (2016)

References

  1. ^ a b Welsh, Anne Marie, "New York and family call Michael Greif home", The San Diego Union-Tribune, October 10, 1999, p.E-1
  2. ^ Horwitz, Simi."Michael Greif Exits La Jolla", reprint from Backstage in allbusiness.com, October 9, 1998
  3. ^ Archives, New York Theatre Workshop nytw.org, accessed May 8, 2009
  4. ^ Obie Award for 1996 Archived 2013-05-30 at the Wayback MachineVillage Voice, accessed May 8, 2009
  5. ^ Marks, Peter. "'Dear Evan Hansen': Original story, high hopes for Benj Pasek and Justin Paul","The Washington Post", July 10, 2015
  6. ^ Clement, Olivia (March 26, 2016). "Pasek and Paul's 'Dear Evan Hansen' Bows in New York". Playbill.
  7. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole Apply War Paint, Starting Tonight", playbill.com, June 28, 2016
  8. ^ Listing signaturetheatre.org, accessed May 8, 2009
  9. ^ Hoffman, Jan.Directing in Every Direction at Once",The New York Times, December 18, 2005
  10. ^ Brantley, Ben. "Rash and Unadvis’d in Verona Seeks Same",The New York Times, June 25, 2007
  11. ^ Gans, Andrew."Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide Begins Guthrie Run May 15", playbill.com, May 15, 2009; NY Premiere: March 23-June 12, 2011 at NY Public Theater
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