Tony Taccone (born July 4, 1951) is an American

theater 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 ...

, and the former Artistic Director of

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident p ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

Early life

Tony Taccone was born on July 4, 1951 in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

, to an Italian-American father and a Puerto Rican mother.Hurwitt, Robert (July 5, 2006)
"Tony Taccone: Riding high on his recent successes, theater veteran has big plans for Berkeley Rep"
''Chronicle Theater Critic''. (accessed 2009-05-18) They encouraged their children to go into the arts; their daughter became a photographer, and both sons found careers in theater. Taccone, attended Boston College as an English major. He frequently participated in poetry readings, which led to performance art. After marrying, he accompanied his wife to the University of Colorado and became involved in the drama department. His acting troupe asked him to fill in for their sick director and stage the next play. Taccone called the gig the "closest thing I ever had to an epiphany," and permanently went behind the curtain. After graduating, Taccone enrolled in UC Berkeley in the doctoral directing program.

Career

When White became artistic director of the Eureka Theatre, a converted warehouse in San Francisco's Mission District,McLaughlin, Ellen (September 2006), "In Cahoots with Tony Taccone". ''American Theatre''. 23 (7):26-58 he invited Taccone along. In 1981, White left and Taccone replaced him as the artistic director. It was there that Taccone began his partnership with

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...

, who he commissioned to write what Kushner thought would be a short chamber piece called ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for O ...

''. Over Taccone's tenure there, the Eureka's annual budget grew from $60,000 to $780,000 as their subscriber number grew to 2,400 and the repertory moved to a new building because their theater was destroyed by an arsonist.Goodwin, Joy (March 2, 2008), "Left Coast Ideas, Floating East". ''New York Times''. Despite the growth, they required $1.3 million in order to stay afloat, and talks began that the repertory could not sustain its artists with growing families. Taccone was extremely reluctant to leave, but announced his resignation in 1988. That year, Taccone became the associate artistic director of

Berkeley Rep Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident ...

under Sharon Ott, again replacing White. Right around that time, ''

'', which ended up becoming a two-part, seven-hour epic, was becoming a national sensation critically and otherwise, and a boon to the Eureka. Four years later (in 1992), he and Oskar Eustis co-directed the world premiere of the complete work at the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of Downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighboring ...

. In 1997, Berkeley Rep won a Tony for Best Regional Theater. That year, Ott left to become artistic director of

Seattle Repertory Seattle Repertory Theatre (familiarly known as "The Rep") is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound including the world premieres of

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

and Culture Clash in AmeriCCa. He has collaborated with Kushner on six projects. Their latest piece featured designs by beloved children’s author, ''

Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book ''Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 200 ...

: Brundibar'' debuted at Berkeley Rep and then traveled to

Yale Rep Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented student ...

and the

New Victory Theater The New Victory Theater is a theater at 209 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, near Times Square. Built in 1900 as the Republic Theatre (also Theatre Republic), it was designed by Albert Westover an ...

in New York City. Taccone made his Broadway debut with Sarah Jones’s '' Bridge & Tunnel''. He also staged the show’s record-breaking off-Broadway run at Culture Project, workshopped it for Broadway at Berkeley Rep and directed Jones’ previous hit, ''

Surface Transit A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is ...

''. Taccone frequently works at Ashland’s

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and contemporary pla ...

, where he has directed

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ye ...

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

, the American premiere of

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

’s

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 ...

, and his production of David Edgar’s

, which also played at the

and in England at

Birmingham Rep Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

and London’s

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

. His other regional credits include noted theatres such as Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arizona Rep,

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 Jose Rep,

Seattle Rep Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...

and San Francisco’s Eureka Theatre, where he served six years as artistic director before coming to Berkeley Rep. Taccone has served on the faculty of

U.C. Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

, sat on the board of

Theatre Communications Group Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is a non-profit service organization headquartered in New York City that promotes professional non-profit theatre in the United States. The organization also publishes ''American Theatre'' magazine and ''ARTSEA ...

and acted as a regional representative for the

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), formerly known as Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC), is an independent national labor union established in 1959, representing theatrical directors and choreographer ...

.Berkeley Repertory Theatre, berkeleyrep.org Playbill recently asserted that "Tony Taccone may very well be the most prominent artistic director in America right now."

Simonson, Robert Robert Simonson (born September 11, 1964) is an American journalist and author. Personal life Robert Simonson was born in Wisconsin; he has lived in Brooklyn since 1988. Career Robert Simonson began writing about cocktails, spirits and bars for ...

(October 30, 2009)
"Playbill.com's Brief Encounter with Tony Taccone"
. During his tenure, Berkeley Rep has emerged as the source of many important Broadway shows, including Green Day's ''American Idiot,'' Sarah Ruhl's ''In the Next Room, or the vibrator play,'' Carrie Fisher's ''Wishful Drinking,'' Sarah Jones' ''Bridge & Tunnel,'' and ''Passing Strange.'' HURWITT, ROBERT (October 16, 2009), "Berkeley Rep a big success on Broadway". ''San Francisco Chronicle''.WEBER, BRUCE (October 25, 2009), "Two Tonys and Their 'Tiny' Five-Act Play". ''New York Times''. Two of Taccone’s recent shows also transferred to London: ''Continental Divide'' played the Barbican in 2004, and ''Tiny Kushner'' played the Tricycle Theatre in 2010. Taccone's professional career has included fostering

clowning A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in t ...

, a fascination he developed when he went to take his small family to see the Pickle Family Circus in the 1980s. He favors clown artistry that is a reaction to tragedy. Taccone has been called a "theatrical midwife" because he often encourages and fosters new talent. Examples include his work with Sarah Jones on ''Surface Transit'' and the aforementioned Tony Kushner. In 2009, Taccone participated in ''A Night With the Stars'', a play performed by persons who were previously homeless. The play was done as a fundraiser for

Community Housing Partnership Community Housing Partnership is a nonprofit organization in San Francisco, California, that provides housing, job training and other services to people formerly living in homelessness. Founded in 1990, it owns and operates 14 residential buildings ...

in San Francisco. Taccone made his playwriting debut in May 2011 with his solo show for Rita Moreno and followed this up with his show ''Ghost Light'' at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2011, which he co-created with Jonathan Moscone. Taccone directed the original musical ''Kiss My Aztec'', which he co-wrote with

John Leguizamo John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (; ; born July 22, 196013:04) is an American actor, comedian, and film producer. He has appeared in over 100 films, produced over 20 films and documentaries, made over 30 television appearances, and has produced ...

(score by

Benjamin Velez Benjamin Velez is an American composer and lyricist. Early life Velez was born in Miami, Florida. He is a graduate of Columbia University where he studied film and wrote the 114th annual Varsity Show. Career Velez joined the BMI Lehman En ...

and David Kamp). It was developed 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 2018 and premiered at

Berkeley Repertory Theater Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident p ...

and

in 2019, where it received critical acclaim. In 2019, Taccone ended his 33 year tenure as Artistic Director of

, handing the position over to Johanna Pfaelzer.

Personal life

Taccone is married to Morgan Forsey. Taccone's children include

Jorma Taccone Jorma Christopher Taccone (; born March 19, 1977) is an American comedian, director, actor, and writer. He is one-third of the sketch comedy troupe The Lonely Island, with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer. In 2010, Taccone co-wr ...

, (a member of the sketch-comedy troupe

the Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The three ...

and a former-writer for ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'') and

Asa Taccone Asa Taccone (born September 20, 1983) is an American musician, songwriter, producer, and frontman of the band Electric Guest with whom he has released three albums since 2012. He is noted as a close collaborator of The Lonely Island and has co ...

, a musician and sometimes collaborator with his brother. Asa is a founding member of the band

Electric Guest Electric Guest is a Los Angeles-based band formed in 2011. The group comprises Asa Taccone and Matthew "Cornbread" Compton. Luke Top plays bass and Reese Richardson plays keyboards/guitar in the touring version of the band. On April 24, 2012, t ...

and has composed music for his father's productions, such as for ''Bridge & Tunnel'' and Taking Over.

Theater credits

*''Honour'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Continental Divide'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Surface Transit'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Cloud Nine'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Homebody/Kabul'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Culture Clash in AmeriCCa'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''The Oresteia'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Ravenshead'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Pentecost, Slavs!'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Endgame/Act Without Words'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Volpone'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''The Convict’s Return'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Major Barbara'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Serious Money'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director *''Waiting for Godot'' - director *''

'', Oregon Shakespeare Festival - director *Pentecost, Oregon Shakespeare Festival - director *''

'', Oregon Shakespeare Festival - director *''

'', Oregon Shakespeare Festival - director *''The Birthday Party and Execution of Justice'', Berkeley Repertory Theatre * '' Waiting for Godot'' (1989) - director * ''

, Parts One and Two'', Mark Taper Forum (1992) - director * ''Brundibar'' (2006), New Victory Theater - director * ''Zorro in Hell'' (2006) - director * ''Wishful Drinking'' (2008), Berkeley Repertory Theatre - directorHurwitt, Robert (April 30, 2009)
"Fisher's 'Wishful Drinking' is Broadway-bound"
(SFGate.com. (accessed 2009-05-19) * ''Taking Over'', (2009) - director *Kiss My Aztec, (2019), Berkeley Repertory Theatre - director

Notes

External links

Tony Taccone, Berkeley Rep Theatre's artistic director
podcast audio link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taccone, Tony 1951 births Living people American theatre directors American people of Italian descent American people of Puerto Rican descent Boston College alumni People from the San Francisco Bay Area