Tina Landau (born May 21, 1962) is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. Known for her large-scale, musical, and ensemble-driven work, Landau's productions have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally, most extensively at the

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on ...

in Chicago where she is an ensemble member.

Early life

Born in New York City to film and television producers Edie and

Ely Landau Ely Abraham Landau (January 20, 1920 – November 4, 1993) was an American producer and production executive best remembered for films of plays in the American Film Theatre series. Landau began working in television as a director and producer i ...

, Landau moved with her family to

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

, California, where she graduated from

Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills High School (usually abbreviated as Beverly or as BHHS) is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills, Moreno High School, is a small alternative school located on B ...

before attending

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, where she directed numerous productions as an undergraduate. She later attended the American Repertory Theater Institute for Advanced Theater Training at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. Her family is of

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 ...

background.

Career

Landau's early work included site specific productions with New York City's En Garde Arts, including ''Orestes'' and ''The Trojan Women: A Love Story'', both by Charles L. Mee, as well as her original play "Stonewall: Night Variations." ''

Floyd Collins William Floyd Collins (July 20, 1887 – February 13, 1925) was an American cave explorer, principally in a region of Kentucky that houses hundreds of miles of interconnected caves, today a part of Mammoth Cave National Park, the longes ...

'', with a book by Landau and a score by

Adam Guettel Adam Guettel (; born December 16, 1964) is an American composer- lyricist of musical theater and opera. The grandson of musical theatre composer Richard Rodgers, he is best known for his musical '' The Light in the Piazza'', for which he won the ...

, opened off-Broadway 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 ...

in 1996. Landau was nominated for the

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for Outstanding

Book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

of a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical, and the production won the

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 ...

for Best Musical. A later version of the show played at San Diego's

Old Globe Theater The Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which i ...

, The

Goodman Goodman or Goodmans may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Goodman Games, American publisher. * Goodman Global, an American HVAC manufacturer. * Goodman Group, an Australian property company. * Goodmans Industries, a British electronic co ...

Theater in Chicago, and The

Prince Music Theater The Prince Theater is a non-profit theatrical producing organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and specializing in music theatre, including opera, music drama, musical comedy and experimental forms. Founded in 1984 as the American ...

in Philadelphia (where it was originally commissioned and produced.) In 1997, she became a member of the

, where she has directed numerous productions including ''The Wheel'', ''The Hot L Baltimore'',

Tarell Alvin McCraney Tarell Alvin McCraney (born October 17, 1980) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. He is the chair of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble. He co-wrote the 2016 film ''Moonlight ...

's ''The Brother/Sister Plays'' and ''Head of Passes'', '' The Tempest'', ''

The Time of Your Life ''The Time of Your Life'' is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened on Broadway in 1939. Cha ...

'' (which later moved to Seattle Rep and A.C.T.), ''

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

'', ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate editio ...

'', ''Theatrical Essays'', ''Time to Burn, Berlin Circle'', and ''The Ballad of Little Jo''. She made her

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 ...

debut directing the 2001 revival of '' Bells Are Ringing'' with

Faith Prince Faith Prince (born August 6, 1957) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award as Best Actress in ''Guys and Dolls'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations. Life ...

, and in 2009 she returned to Broadway with the Steppenwolf production of

Tracy Letts Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received ...

' '' Superior Donuts''. In February 2015 Nickelodeon announced that she had been tapped to co-adapt and direct ''

SpongeBob SquarePants, The Broadway Musical ''SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical'' (originally titled ''The SpongeBob Musical'', later retitled as such for the national tour) is a stage musical, co-conceived and directed by Tina Landau with songs by various artists and a book by ...

'', a stage adaptation of ''

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...

''. The show opened on Broadway on December 4, 2017. For ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', Landau was nominated for the 2018

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 ...

at the 72nd Tony Awards. She won Best Director of a Musical at both the 2018

Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

and

Outer Critics Circle Awards The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

, and the production won for Best Musical in both awards as well. Landau's other New York City directing credits include ''Old Hats'' (with Bill Irwin and David Shiner) at the Signature Theater,

Paula Vogel Paula Vogel (born November 16, 1951) is an American playwright who received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play ''How I Learned to Drive.'' A longtime teacher, Vogel spent the bulk of her academic career – from 1984 to 2008 – at Bro ...

's ''A Civil War Christmas'' at New York Theater Workshop, Charles L. Mee’s '' Iphigenia 2.0'' at the Signature, ''Dream True'', ''Mary Rose'', ''Miracle Brothers'' and ''Wig Out!'', all at the Vineyard Theater, as well as ''In the Red and Brown Water'', ''Space'', and ''Saturn Returns'' all 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 ...

. Landau's many other regional credits include '' Antony and Cleopatra'' at Hartford Stage, ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' at the McCarter Theater and Papermill Playhouse, ''

Of Thee I Sing ''Of Thee I Sing'' is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President o ...

'' at Papermill, ''

The Cure at Troy ''The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles' Philoctetes'' is a verse adaptation by Seamus Heaney of Sophocles' play ''Philoctetes''. It was first published in 1991. The story comes from one of the myths relating to the Trojan War. It is dedicate ...

'' at Seattle Rep, Zack Zadek's ''Deathless'' at

Goodspeed Musicals Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, the ...

, and the musical ''Dave'' at

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

. In addition to ''Floyd Collins'', Landau's writing includes book and lyrics for ''Dream True'' and ''States of Independence'', both with scores by

Ricky Ian Gordon Ricky Ian Gordon (born May 15, 1956) is an American composer of art song, opera and musical theatre. Life Gordon was born in Oceanside, New York. He was raised by his mother, Eve, and father, Sam, and he grew up on Long Island with his three sist ...

, the plays ''Beauty'' at

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

(San Diego Critics Best Play), ''Space'' at Steppenwolf, the Public, and the Mark Taper Forum (TIME magazine Top Ten), ''Stonewall: Night Variations'', and ''1969 (or Howie Takes a Trip)''. With

Anne Bogart Anne Bogart (born September 25, 1951) is an American theatre and opera director. She is currently one of the Artistic Directors of SITI Company, which she founded with Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki in 1992. She is a professor at Columbia Uni ...

, Landau has co-authored ''The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition''. Landau has taught at Yale University and the

Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...

, Tisch School of the Arts at New York University,"Tina Landau information
artscapemedia.com, accessed February 20, 2009 University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and Columbia University.

Awards and recognition

Landau was named one of the "Out 100 of 2009" by

OUT Magazine ''Out'' is an American LGBTQ news, fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any LGBTQ monthly publication in the United States. It presents itself in an editorial manner similar to '' Details'', ''Esquire' ...

. Landau was named a 2007 USA Ford Fellow and granted $50,000 by

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

, an arts advocacy foundation dedicated to the support and promotion of America's top living artists. Landau received a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical for ''

'' at the 72nd Tony Awards.Fierberg, Ruthie
"25 Days Of Tonys How Does Director Tina Landau Describe 'Spongebobsquarepants'"
Playbill, May 23, 2018 She won awards for Best Direction of a Musical at the 2018

Drama League Awards The Drama League Awards, created in 1922, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing. Each May, the awards ...

, and

as well.

Notes

*Peterson, Jane T., and Bennett, Suzanne. ''Women Playwrights of Diversity: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourceboo''k, Greenwood Press, 1997. *Dominus, Susan. ''The 9 Habits of Highly Creative Directors'', New York Times, September 4, 2005. *Bogart, Anne and Landau, Tina. ''The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Compositions'' . Theater Communications Group, 2005. *Hausam, Wiley, ed., ''The New American Musical: An Anthology from the End of the 20th Century.'' Theatre Communications Group, 2001.

References

External links

*
Internet Off-Broadway listingTina Landau at Steppenwolf.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landau, Tina 1962 births American acting theorists American musical theatre librettists American theatre directors Women theatre directors Institute for Advanced Theater Training, Harvard University alumni LGBT theatre directors Living people Postmodern theatre Tisch School of the Arts faculty Yale University alumni Steppenwolf Theatre Company players Yale School of Drama faculty LGBT people from New York (state) American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American women writers Women librettists