Sam Gold is an American theater director and actor. He has directed both musicals and plays, on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and
Off-Broadway. He won the 2015
Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical
The Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical has been given since 1960. Before 1960 there was only one award for both play direction and musical direction, then in 1960 the award was split into two categories: ''Dramatic'' and ''Musical''.
Win ...
for ''
Fun Home
''Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic'' is a 2006 Graphic novel, graphic memoir by the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of the comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For''. It chronicles the author's childhood and youth in rural Pennsylvania, Uni ...
''.
Early life
Gold was raised in
Westchester and New York City. His father, Jeffrey, is an investment banker, and his mother, Lenore, is a painter. He graduated from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
with a degree in English
[ and had internships at ]Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work.
Under the ...
and the Signature Theater, and attended the directing program at the Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
. He spent three years as an assistant director and dramaturge at the Wooster Group
The Wooster Group is a New York City-based experimental theater company known for creating numerous original dramatic works. It gradually emerged from Richard Schechner's The Performance Group (1967–1980) during the period from 1975 to 1980, an ...
.[Pacheco, Patrick]
"Sam Gold feeds off 'Anger'"
''The Los Angeles Times'', February 19, 2012 He explained that "my career has been very focused on brand-new plays for a while. But, always, the reason I got into the theatre was because I was inspired by these classics. I was an English major and I loved the plays, so I think my work with new writers has always been based on my information from these old plays..." Gold is the Resident Director at the Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.
History
The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...
.
Career
On Broadway, he directed ''Seminar
A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some parti ...
'' in 2011, a revival of '' Picnic'' in 2013 for the Roundabout Theatre Company, ''The Realistic Joneses
''The Realistic Joneses'' is a play by Will Eno. It opened on Broadway in 2014 after premiering in 2012 at the Yale Repertory Theater.
Production history
''The Realistic Joneses'' premiered at the Yale Repertory Theater, New Haven, Connecticut ...
'' in 2014, and ''The Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to:
Film and television
* The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film
* ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...
'' in 2014 for the Roundabout Theatre Company.[
He directed '']Fun Home
''Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic'' is a 2006 Graphic novel, graphic memoir by the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of the comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For''. It chronicles the author's childhood and youth in rural Pennsylvania, Uni ...
'' on Broadway in 2015,["Sam Gold Broadway Credits and Awards"]
playbillvault.com, accessed October 7, 2015 in a Public Lab at The Public Theater
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
in October 2012, and Off-Broadway at The Public Theater in 2013. For ''Fun Home'', he won the 2015 Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
, Best Direction of a Musical[ and 2014 Obie Award, Musical Theater.
His Off-Broadway directing work began with ''The Black Eyed'' at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2007.]["Sam Gold Off-Broadway"]
lortel.org, accessed October 7, 2015 He directed ''The Big Meal'' by Dan LeFranc in 2012 at Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work.
Under the ...
and won the 2012 Lucille Lortel Award
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...
, Outstanding Director.
Gold has directed five of the plays of Annie Baker
Annie Baker (born April 1981) is an American playwright and teacher who won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for her play ''The Flick.'' Among her works are the Shirley, Vermont plays, which take place in the fictional town of Shirley: ''Circle Mirror Tr ...
: ''Circle Mirror Transformation
''Circle Mirror Transformation'' is a play by Annie Baker, centered on drama classes at a community center in Vermont. The play opened Off-Broadway in 2009 and received the Obie Award for Best New American Play.
Productions
''Circle Mirror Trans ...
'' in 2009,[ '' The Aliens'' in 2010, an adaption of ''Uncle Vanya'' in 2012,'']The Flick
''The Flick'' is a play by Annie Baker that received the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won the 2013 Obie Award for Playwriting. ''The Flick'' premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2013.
Productions
''The Flick'' debuted Off-Broa ...
'' in 2013, and ''John'' in 2015. According to an article in ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', "Mr. Gold and Ms. Baker are reluctant to disclose much about themselves or their work together."[Soloski, Alexis. "Annie Baker and Sam Gold: A Writer and Director Going Steady on the Job", ''The New York Times'', July 15, 2015] In 2010, he also directed a reading of her play '' Nocturama'' at the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has g ...
.
Gold won the 2010 Obie Award, Directing, for ''Circle Mirror Transformation'' and the 2016 Special Citation Obie Award for Collaboration between Gold, Baker, and the design team. The ''New York Times'' reviewer wrote that "Sam Gold has directed with an uncommonly observant eye and ear." He was nominated for the 2016 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Director of a Play for ''John''.
He directed ''The Flick'' in its West End (and UK) premiere at the National Theatre's Dorfman Theatre, which opened in April 2016.
The ''CurtainUp'' reviewer wrote: "...as moved from page to stage by director Sam Gold and his ensemble, everything becomes remarkably and most effectively — enough so to make this a full-flavored theatrical meal.... LeFranc, like another Playwrights Horizon favorite, Annie Baker, has written exactly the kind of play that's director Sam Gold's forte. Like Baker's ''Circle Mirror Transformation'', ''The Big Meal'' is a play in which nothing much happens, but everything does."
He directed a revival of ''Look Back in Anger'' for the Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.
History
The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...
in 2012. David Finkle, in his review for ''TheaterMania'' of ''Look Back in Anger'', wrote: "...there's no question the challenge director Sam Gold faced in mounting this possibly-dated work was finding an approach to the fire-brand script that would infuse it with the shock value it had at its debut. Not only has he met the test, Gold deserves a chorus of huzzahs for unmitigated audacity." He directed a staged concert presentation of ''The Cradle Will Rock
''The Cradle Will Rock'' is a 1937 play in music by Marc Blitzstein. Originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project, it was directed by Orson Welles and produced by John Houseman. A Brechtian allegory of corruption and corporate greed, it ...
'' for Encores! Off-Center in July 2013. David Finkle, reviewing for ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', wrote: "The cast of the Encores! Off-Center concert production of Marc Blitzstein's once highly controversial first musical...are dressed in Clint Ramos's formal attire. The look, apparently chosen by the habitually iconoclastic director Sam Gold, is certainly nothing like what the original cast was intended to wear...is likely that he understands there's no point in expecting contemporary audiences to insert themselves fully into the context of the times.... That may be why Gold's presenting the work of art as simply as he does is so completely effective."
In regional theatre, he directed ''A Doll's House
''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...
'' at the Williamstown Theatre Festival
The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. I ...
in 2011.
He directed '' Othello'' at the Off-Broadway New York Theatre Workshop, opening on November 22, 2016 in previews, officially on December 12, 2016 through January 18, 2017. The play stars David Oyelowo
David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards ...
and Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...
.
He directed the latest Broadway revival of ''The Glass Menagerie
''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...
'' at the Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 an ...
, which started previews on February 7, 2017. The play stars Sally Field and Joe Mantello
Joseph Mantello (born December 27, 1962) is an American actor and director known for his work on Broadway productions of '' Wicked'', '' Take Me Out'', and ''Assassins'', having gained notoriety in the 1993 cast of ''Angels in America''.
Early l ...
. He also directed the new play by Lucas Hnath
Lucas Hnath ( ) is an American playwright. He won the 2016 Obie Award for excellence in playwriting for his plays ''Red Speedo'' and ''The Christians''. He also won a Whiting Award.
Biography
Hnath grew up in Orlando, Florida. He moved to New Yor ...
, ''A Doll's House, Part 2
''A Doll's House, Part 2'' is a 2017 play written by Lucas Hnath. The play premiered at the South Coast Repertory, in April 2017, before transferring to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre. The play "picks up after Henrik Ibsen's 1879 play ''A ...
'', which premiered on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre
The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was ...
on April 1, 2017. It takes place 15 years after Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...
's ''A Doll’s House'' concludes."
Gold directed a new production of William Shakespeare’s ''King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...
'' at the Cort Theatre
The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...
, starring Glenda Jackson
Glenda May Jackson (born 9 May 1936) is an English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP). She has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama ''Women in Love'' (1970); and again for ...
. The limited engagement began previews in March 2019 and officially opened on April 4.
He is currently directing and executive producing the half-hour comedy ''Compliance'' for FX from writer Sarah Burgess and produced by Scott Rudin
Scott Rudin (born July 14, 1958) is an American film, television, and theatre producer. His films include the Academy Award-winning Best Picture ''No Country for Old Men,'' as well as '' Uncut Gems'', '' Lady Bird, Fences, The Girl with the Drag ...
. It stars Mary Louise Parker and Courtney B. Vance
Courtney Bernard Vance (born March 12, 1960) is an American actor. Known for his commanding presence Vance started his career on stage before transitioning his career into film and television. He's received various accolades including a Tony Awa ...
.
It has been announced that Gold would be directing a proposed film adaptation of ''Fun Home'' with Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...
set to produce and star.
Theatre credits
As a director
Style
Patrick Pacheco, in an article in ''The Los Angeles Times'', observed: "Critical reservations have been rare in Gold's rise as one of New York's hottest and busiest young directors, ever since the media hailed his subtle and effective production of Annie Baker's ''Circle Mirror Transformation'' at Playwrights Horizons in 2009... His restless energy is reflected in the sheer breadth and versatility of his career, from a puppet musical, ''Jollyship the Whizbang,'' to classics like ''Threepenny Opera'' and ''A Doll's House,'' to any number of new plays by Zoe Kazan (''We Live Here''), Dan LeFranc (''The Big Meal,'' which he will direct at Playwrights Horizons in March) and Will Eno (''The Realistic Joneses'' at Yale Rep in April)."[
Mark Kennedy noted that "''Fun Home'' is Gold's first crack at directing a traditional musical, and it joins a list of credits that seem to have little in common....
What connects them is Gold's love of working with a group of actors, whether they're the unknowns in the cast of ''The Flick'' or A-listers .... 'Always I start with the ensemble and I try to put all of the pressure on them. I try to make these productions where the show succeeds or fails completely on their shoulders,' he says.'No net. No fancy set pieces. No directing flourishes. Nothing that can save the show if the subtlety of the performances isn't riveting.'"][Kennedy, Mark]
"'Fun Home' director Sam Gold on working with 'no net'"
''Denver Post'', June 2, 2015
Personal life
Gold has been married to playwright Amy Herzog
Amy Herzog is an American playwright. Her play ''4000 Miles'', which ran Off-Broadway in 2011, was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Her play ''Mary Jane'', which ran Off-Broadway in 2017, won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Aw ...
[ since 2011. According to an article in '']The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', Herzog and Gold "choose not to work together professionally, which is an interesting line to draw, given that Herzog often blurs the boundaries between art and actual family history." Gold is Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.
Awards and nominations
Source:"Sam Gold Off-Broadway"
lortel.org, accessed May 13, 2016
* 2017 Tony Award Best Direction of a Play, ''A Doll's House, Part 2'', nominee
* 2016 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Play, ''John'', nominee
* 2015 Tony Award Best Direction of a Musical, ''Fun Home'', winner
* 2014 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical, ''Fun Home'', nominee
* 2014 Obie Award, Musical Theater, ''Fun Home'', winner
* 2013 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Play, ''Uncle Vanya'', nominee
* 2013 Lucille Lortel Award
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...
Nomination, Outstanding Director, ''The Flick'', nominee
* 2012 Lucille Lortel Award Nomination, Outstanding Director, ''Look Back in Anger'', nominee
* 2012 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director, ''The Big Meal'', winner
* 2010 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Play, ''Circle Mirror Transformation'', nominee
* 2010 Obie Award, Direction, ''Circle Mirror Transformation'', winner
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gold, Sam
Living people
American theatre directors
Broadway theatre directors
Place of birth missing (living people)
Jewish American male actors
Tony Award winners
Cornell University alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American Jews