Oskar Eustis (born July 31, 1958) has been the

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

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 New York City since 2005. He has worked as a director,

dramaturg A dramaturge or dramaturg is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and printed programmes (or helps others with these tasks), consults auth ...

, and artistic director for theaters around the United States."Oscar Eustis Bio"
publictheater.org, accessed July 19, 2016

Early life

Eustis grew up in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. His parents, Warren Eustis, a district attorney and an official of the Democratic Party in Minnesota, and Doris Marquit, a

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

professor,Mead, Rebecca
"Stage Left"
''The New Yorker'', March 22, 2010 divorced when he was ten. He graduated from high school at age 15 and moved to New York City, briefly attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, and then co-founded the Red Wing Theater Company. After working in Switzerland, he moved to San Francisco, and started working at the

Eureka Theatre Company The Eureka Theatre Company was an American repertory theatre group located in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1972 as the Shorter Players by Chris Silva (director), Chris Silva, Robert Woodruff (director), Robert Woodruff and Carl Lumbl ...

. He met his wife, Laurie, 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 ...

.Green, Adam
"Inside the High-Drama Life of Hamilton Impresario Oskar Eustis"
''Vogue'', February 24, 2016

Career

Eustis has been the Artistic Director of the Public Theater since 2005. He was the artistic director at the

Trinity Repertory Company Trinity Repertory Company (commonly abbreviated as Trinity Rep) is a non-profit regional theater located at 201 Washington Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The theater is a member of the League of Resident Theatres. Founded in 1963, the thea ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

from 1994 to 2005. From 1989 to 1994 he was the associate artistic director for the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. He was the resident director and dramaturg for the Eureka Theatre Company in San Francisco, California from 1981 to 1986 and then artistic director from 1986 to 1989. He started the Red Wing Company when he was sixteen with Stephan Muller. At the Public, Eustis directed the New York premieres of Rinne Groff's ''Compulsion'' and ''The Ruby Sunrise'', Lawrence Wright's ''The Human Scale'', and the 2008

Shakespeare in the Park Shakespeare in the Park is a term for outdoor festivals featuring productions of William Shakespeare's plays. The term originated with the New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City's Central Park, originally created by Joseph Papp. This conc ...

production of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. At Trinity Repertory Company he directed the world premiere of Paula Vogel's ''

The Long Christmas Ride Home ''The Long Christmas Ride Home'' is a one-act play written by Paula Vogel. It dramatises a road trip by two parents and their three young children to visit grandparents for Christmas dinner, and the emotional turmoil that they undergo. A signific ...

'' in 2003 and

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 ...

’s ''Homebody/Kabul'' in 2002, both recipients of the

Elliot Norton Award The Elliot Norton Awards are presented annually to honor the best achievements in Boston-area theater. The genesis of the awards was the Norton Medal, which was first awarded in 1983 and was named after long-time theater critic Elliot Norton (1903 ...

for Outstanding Production. While at the Eureka Theatre, he commissioned Tony Kushner’s ''

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 ...

'', and directed its world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum. In 2019, he directed

Suzan-Lori Parks Suzan-Lori Parks (born May 10, 1963) is an American playwright, screenwriter, musician and novelist. Her 2001 play ''Topdog/Underdog'' won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002; Parks was the first African-American woman to receive the award for d ...

's play '' White Noise ''. He was a professor of theatre, speech and dance at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, where he founded and chaired the Trinity Rep/Brown University Consortium for professional theater training. He also served on the faculty of the

Bread Loaf School of English Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all 5 ...

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

. Eustis is a professor of dramatic writing and arts and public policy at New York University, and has held professorships at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, and

. He also teaches a small seminar at

Saint Ann's School (Brooklyn) , motto_translation = I seek higher things , established = , closed = , type = Independent, nonsectarian day school , status = , category_label = , ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eustis, Oskar 1958 births Living people American theatre directors Tony Award winners Brown University faculty New York University alumni New York University faculty