Stephen Sachs (born August 14, 1959) is an American stage director and playwright. He is the co-artistic director of

the Fountain Theatre The Fountain Theatre is a theatre in Los Angeles. Along with its programming of live theatre, it's also the foremost producer of flamenco on the West Coast. History The Fountain Theatre was founded in Los Angeles in 1990 by co-artistic direct ...

in Los Angeles, which he co-founded in 1990.

Biography

Sachs was born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and grew up in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He graduated from

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...

Theatre Academy in 1980 and worked as an actor in film, TV, and theater. He made his debut as a professional stage director in 1987 with an adaptation of ''

The Baron in the Trees ''The Baron in the Trees'' ( it, Il barone rampante) is a 1957 novel by Italian writer Italo Calvino. Described as a ''conte philosophique'' and a metaphor for independence, it tells the adventures of a boy who climbs up a tree to spend the rest ...

'' at the

Ensemble Studio Theatre The Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) is a non-profit membership-based developmental theatre located in Hell's Kitchen, New York City. It has a dual mission of nurturing individual theatre artists and developing new American plays. Overview The En ...

, to positive reviews. Sachs co-founded

in 1990 with Deborah Lawlor. He has led the venue as artistic director since its founding and has directed and written numerous productions. He is married to actress Jacqueline Schultz; they have two children.

The Fountain Theatre

The Fountain Theatre has won hundreds of awards for all areas of production, performance, and design. In 2020, it was honored with the Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater, presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. In a 2021 end-of-year retrospective, ''Los Angeles Times'' theater critic Charles McNulty called the Fountain "L.A.'s most enterprising intimate theater

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

continues to punch far above its weight… No L.A. theater has done a better job of asking us to reexamine our lives through the lens of acute contemporary drama this year than the Fountain."

Athol Fugard

Sachs was chosen by South African playwright

Athol Fugard Athol Fugard, Hon. , (born 11 June 1932), is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. He is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apart ...

as one of the few directors in the United States to premiere his new plays. The collaboration goes back to when Sachs directed the Los Angeles premiere of Fugard's ''The Road to Mecca'', in 2000. In 2004, Sachs was selected to direct the world premiere of a new Fugard play, titled ''Exits and Entrances'', which won a number of awards. Sachs went on to direct regional productions of the play around the country and overseas. In 2008, Sachs directed the Fugard play ''Victory''. The production was named "Critic's Choice" and "Best of 2008" in the ''Los Angeles Times''.

Deaf-themed theater and film

Sachs was instrumental in launching and supporting the Deaf West Theatre Company at the Fountain Theatre in 1991. The company won a

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 cer ...

for its acclaimed

ASL American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

version of '' Big River'' on Broadway in 2003. His play about deafness and

cochlear implant A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech und ...

s, ''

Sweet Nothing in My Ear ''Sweet Nothing in My Ear'' is a 2008 American made-for-television drama film directed by Joseph Sargent and is based on a 1998 play of the same name by Stephen Sachs, who also wrote the teleplay.television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

starring

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

and

Marlee Matlin Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a ...

and presented on the

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

on April 20, 2008. The teleplay was written by Sachs, and the film was directed by

Joseph Sargent Joseph Sargent (born Giuseppe Danielle Sorgente; July 22, 1925 – December 22, 2014) was an American film director. Though he directed many television movies, his best known feature-length works were arguably the action movie '' White Ligh ...

. Sachs' play about deafness and language, ''Open Window'', had its world premiere at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

in 2005, winning the California Governor's Media Access Award for Theater Excellence. His deaf spin on ''Cyrano'' debuted at the Fountain Theatre in 2012, starring

Troy Kotsur Troy Michael Kotsur (; born July 24, 1968) is an American actor in theater, film, and television. His supporting role in the film ''CODA'' (2021) earned him a number of accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Scr ...

. His 2018 deaf-themed play ''Arrival & Departure'' starred Kotsur and his wife, actress

Deanne Bray Deanne Bray (born May 14, 1971) is an American actress. Bray was born deaf and is bilingual in American Sign Language and English. Early Life and Education Bray was born in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California and has spent most of her life in ...

Productions

as director

* ''The Road to Mecca'' (2000) Los Angeles premiere * ''After the Fall'' (2002) Los Angeles * ''Exits and Entrances'' (2004) world premiere, Los Angeles * ''Hippolytos'' (2006) Getty Villa, Malibu, world premiere translation * ''String of Pearls'' (2006) Los Angeles premiere * ''Exits and Entrances'' (2007) off-Broadway, NYC * ''Miss Julie: Freedom Summer'' (2007) world premiere, Los Angeles * ''Gilgamesh'' (2007) world premiere adaptation * ''Victory'' (2008) United States premiere * ''Shining City'' (2009) Los Angeles premiere * ''Coming Home'' (2009) West Coast premiere * ''

Side Man ''Side Man'' is a memory play by Warren Leight. His inspiration was his father Donald, who worked as a sideman, in jazz parlance a musician for hire who can blend in with the band or star as a solo performer, according to what is required by the g ...

'' (2010) starring

Christine Lahti Christine Ann Lahti (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film '' Swing Shift''. Her other film roles include '' ...And Justice for All'' (19 ...

, LA Theatre Works

as playwright

* ''The Baron in the Trees'' (1987), adaptation * ''The Golden Gate'' (1991) * ''Sweet Nothing in My Ear'' (1997) * ''Mother's Day'' (1999) * ''Central Avenue'' (2001) * ''Open Window'' (2005), Pasadena Playhouse * ''Gilgamesh'' (2007), adaptation * ''Miss Julie: Freedom Summer'' (2007), new version of

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

's ''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

'' * ''Bakersfield Mist'' (2012)

Awards and recognition

As playwright and director, Sachs has won every theater award in Los Angeles. He has been nominated for the SDC Zelda Fichandler Award three times, recognizing an outstanding director who makes a unique and exceptional contribution to theater in their region. He was honored by the Los Angeles City Council for "his visionary contributions to the cultural life of Los Angeles".

as director

* Best Director – ''Golden Gate'' – Drama-Logue Award (1990) * Best Director – ''Fanon's People'' – Drama-Logue Award (1991) * Best Director – ''Cuckoo's Nest'' – Drama-Logue Award (1992) * Best Director – ''The Seagull'' – Drama-Logue Award (1993) * Best Director – ''Night Mother'' – Drama-Logue Award (1994) * Best Director – ''Ashes'' – Drama-Logue Award (1994) * Best Director – ''Lonely Planet'' – Robby Award nomination (1996) * Best Director – ''The Road to Mecca'' – Maddy Award (2000) * Best Director – ''The Road to Mecca'' – Robby Award nomination (2000) * Best Director – ''After the Fall'' – Maddy Award (2002) * Best Director – ''After the Fall'' – Ovation Award (2002) * Best Director – ''Sweet Nothing in my Ear'' – Minneapolis (2003) * Best Director – ''Exits and Entrances'' – Ovation Award, Los Angeles (2004) * Best Director – ''Exits and Entrances'' – Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award (2004) * Best Director – ''Exits and Entrances'' – ''L.A. Weekly'' Award nomination (2004) * Best Director – ''Exits and Entrances'' – Maddy Award, Los Angeles (2004) * Best Director – ''Exits and Entrances'' – Carbonell Award nomination (2005) * Best Director – ''Victory'' – NAACP Theatre Award (2008) * 2009 Zelda Fichandler Award nomination (2009) * Best Director – ''Coming Home'' – ''LA Weekly'' Award (2009)

as playwright

* Best Playwright – ''Golden Gate'' – Drama-Logue Award (1990) * Citation of Appreciation, Los Angeles City Council, for "enhancing the cultural life of the City of Los Angeles" (1996) * California Governor's Media Access Award for Theatre – ''Sweet Nothing in my Ear'' (1997) * Finalist – ''Sweet Nothing in my Ear'' – PEN West Literary Award for Drama (1998) * Best Play – ''Mother's Day'' – Garland Award Honorable Mention (1999) * Finalist – ''Central Avenue'' – PEN West Literary Award for Drama (2001) * Best Play – ''Central Avenue'' – Back Stage Garland Award (2001) * Best Play – ''Central Avenue'' – Beverly Press Maddy Award (2001) * Best Adaptation – ''Miss Julie'' – Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination (2007) * Best Adaptation – ''Miss Julie'' – ''L.A. Weekly'' Theatre Award nomination (2007)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sachs, Stephen American theatre directors 1959 births Living people People from San Francisco American dramatists and playwrights