Daniel John Sullivan (born June 11, 1940) is an American

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and

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 ...

Life and career

Sullivan was born in Wray, Colorado, the son of Mary Catherine (née Hutton) and John Martin Sullivan. He was raised in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " 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 fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, where he graduated from

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...

. In 1963, he began his professional career as an actor at the city's Actor's Workshop, where he remained for two years. Sullivan worked as both an actor and director with the

Lincoln Center Repertory Company Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square (Manhattan), Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side (Manhattan), Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thir ...

in the late 1960s and 1970s. His directorial debut there was

A.R. Gurney Albert Ramsdell Gurney Jr. (November 1, 1930 – June 13, 2017) (sometimes credited as Pete Gurney) was an American playwright, novelist and academic. He is known for works including ''The Dining Room'' (1982), ''Sweet Sue (play), Sweet Sue'' (1 ...

's ''Scenes from American Life'' in 1971. for which he won a

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. F ...

. After two years as Resident Director of the Seattle Repertory Theatre, he assumed the position of Artistic Director in 1981, serving until 1997. It was there that he directed the first production of his own play, ''

Inspecting Carol ''Inspecting Carol'' is a hilarious comedic play by Daniel J. Sullivan, written in 1991 and produced by the Seattle Repertory Theatrebr> It is a variation on the play The Government Inspector, The Inspector General by Nikolai Gogol. This play i ...

''. Sullivan has forged successful working relationships with many prominent American playwrights. He directed

Herb Gardner Herbert George Gardner (December 28, 1934 – September 25, 2003), was an American commercial artist, cartoonist, playwright and screenwriter. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gardner was the son of a bar owner. His late brother, Robert ...

's Tony winning ''

I'm Not Rappaport ''I'm Not Rappaport'' is a play by Herb Gardner, which originally ran on Broadway in 1985. Productions The play was originally staged by Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1984. The play premiered on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on November 19, 1985 ...

'' at Seattle Rep before staging it off-Broadway, on Broadway, in London's West End, and the United States national tour. He reteamed with Gardner to stage '' Conversations with My Father'' in Seattle, New York City, and Los Angeles. His first association with

Wendy Wasserstein Wendy Wasserstein (October 18, 1950 – January 30, 2006) was an American playwright. She was an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She received the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1989 ...

was the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning '' The Heidi Chronicles'', which he directed off Broadway, on Broadway and its National Tour. The duo later collaborated on ''

The Sisters Rosensweig ''The Sisters Rosensweig'' is a play by Wendy Wasserstein. The play focuses on three Jewish-American sisters and their lives. It "broke theatrical ground by concentrating on a non-traditional cast of three middle-aged women." Wasserstein receive ...

'' on Broadway and the National Tour, ''

An American Daughter ''An American Daughter'' is a play written by Wendy Wasserstein. The play takes place in a living room in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Production history ''An American Daughter'' opened under the New Play Workshop Series at Seattle Repertory The ...

'', and Ms. Wasserstein's final play, ''

Third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hi ...

.'' He directed both the off-Broadway and screen version of Jon Robin Baitz's '' The Substance of Fire'', as well as the original productions of '' A Fair Country'' and ''Ten Unknowns'' in New York, and Baitz's translation of ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...

'' in Los Angeles. His collaborations with

Donald Margulies Donald Margulies (born September 2, 1954) is an American playwright and academic. In 2000, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play ''Dinner with Friends''. Background and education Margulies attended John Dewey High School in Broo ...

include the Pulitzer-Prize-winning '' Dinner With Friends'' in New York and Los Angeles, the Broadway revival of '' Sight Unseen'', and the Broadway productions of '' Brooklyn Boy'' and the 2010 Broadway production of ''Time Stands Still''. Sullivan has directed most of

Charlayne Woodard Charlaine "Charlayne" Woodard (born December 29, 1953) is an American playwright and actress. She is a two-time Obie Award winner as well as a Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee. She was a series regular on the hit FX TV series Pose. She played ...

's plays: ''Pretty Fire (Seattle Rep, 1994-95),'' ''Neat'' (Seattle Rep, 1996–97), ''Stories'' (Seattle Rep, May 1999), ''In Real Life'' (Mark Taper Forum, July 2001 and Manhattan Theatre Club, October 2002) and ''The Nightwatcher.'' Other Broadway credits include ''Retreat From Moscow'', '' Morning's at Seven'', ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a c ...

'', ''

Major Barbara ''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...

'', ''

A Moon for the Misbegotten ''A Moon for the Misbegotten'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. The play is a sequel to O'Neill's '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', with the Jim Tyrone character as an older version of Jamie Tyrone. He began drafting the play late in 1 ...

'', ''Accent on Youth'', ''

The Homecoming ''The Homecoming'' is a two-act play written in 1964 by Harold Pinter and first published in 1965. Its premières in London (1965) and New York (1967) were both directed by Sir Peter Hall. The original Broadway production won the 1967 Tony A ...

'', '' Rabbit Hole'', ''Prelude to a Kiss'', ''After The Night And The Music'', ''Julius Caesar'', and ''

Ah, Wilderness ''Ah, Wilderness!'' is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 2, 1933. It differs from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction of a ...

''."Daniel Sullivan Broadway Credits and Awards"
playbillvault.com, accessed August 1, 2015 For Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte, Sullivan directed ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'', ''A Midsummer Night’s Dream'' (2007) and ''Twelfth Night'' (2009). Other Off-Broadway credits include ''

Stuff Happens ''Stuff Happens'' is a play by David Hare, written in response to the Iraq War. Hare describes it as "a history play" that deals with recent history. The title is inspired by Donald Rumsfeld's response to widespread looting in Baghdad: "Stuff ...

'', ''Intimate Apparel'', ''Ancestral Voices'', '' Spinning Into Butter'', ''Far East'', '' London Suite'', ''Psychopathia Sexualis'', '' The American Clock'', and '' Good People''. At The Old Globe Theatre, Sullivan directed ''Julius Caesar'', ''Cymbeline'' (1999), ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1998), ''Merry Wives of Windsor'' and ''Othello'', and at

South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Direc ...

he directed ''Hamlet'', ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', ''Taming of the Shrew'' and ''Volpone''. Sullivan's Broadway acting credits include the 1973 revival of ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...

'', ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' (1973), ''

The Playboy of the Western World ''The Playboy of the Western World'' is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo (o ...

'' (1971), ''

The Good Woman of Setzuan ''The Good Person of Szechwan'' (german: Der gute Mensch von Sezuan, first translated less literally as ''The Good Man of Setzuan'') is a play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin and Ruth Berla ...

'', and '' Camino Real''. In addition to his directing, Sullivan currently holds the Swanlund Chair at the

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the Flagship#Colleges and universities in ...

Personal life

Sullivan has three daughters. His wife Mimi Lieber is an actress, choreographer and noted acting teacher.

Stage productions

*'' The Little Foxes'' (2017) *''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the '' First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangi ...

'' (2011) *'' Good People'' (2011) *''

'' (2010 revival) *''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' (2009) *'' Prelude to a Kiss'' (2007 revival) *'' Rabbit Hole'' (2006) *''

After the Night and the Music ''After the Night and the Music'' is a one-act play in three parts, written by Elaine May. It opened in 2005. May derived the name of the play from the Howard Dietz song "You and the Night and the Music". Plot The aptly-titled ''Curtain Raiser'' ...

'' (2005) *''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

'' (2005) *'' Brooklyn Boy'' (2005) *'' Intimate Apparel'' (2004) *'' Sight Unseen'' (2004) *''

The Retreat from Moscow ''The Retreat from Moscow'' is a play written by William Nicholson. The play is about the end of a three-decade marriage and the subsequent emotional fallout. The title is taken from Napoleon's costly invasion of Moscow and the subsequent retre ...

'' (2003) *'' Morning's at Seven'' (2002 revival) *''

'' (2001) *''

'' (2000) *''

'' (2000 revival) *''

Ah, Wilderness! ''Ah, Wilderness!'' is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 2, 1933. It differs from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction of a ...

'' (1998) *''

The Plough and the Stars ''The Plough and the Stars'' is a four-act play by the Irish writer Seán O'Casey that was first performed on 8 February 1926 at the Abbey Theatre. It is set in Dublin and addresses the 1916 Easter Rising. The play's title references the Sta ...

'' (1973) *''

Narrow Road to the Deep North Narrow may refer to: * The Narrow, rock band from South Africa * Narrow banking, proposed banking system that would eliminate bank runs and the need for a deposit insurance * narrow gauge railway, a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the ...

'' (1972)

Awards and nominations

;Awards *1972

for Most Promising Director - ''Suggs'' *2001

Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play The Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play 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''. In 1976 ...

- ''Proof'' *In 2011 he was inducted into the

American Theatre Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

.Playbill.com
;Nominations *1989 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play - ''The Heidi Chronicles'' *1989 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play - ''The Heidi Chronicles'' *1992 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play - ''Conversations With My Father'' *1993 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play - ''The Sisters Rosensweig'' *1993 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play - ''The Sisters Rosensweig'' *2000 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play - ''Dinner with Friends'' *2002 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play - ''Morning's at Seven'' *2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play - ''Stuff Happens'' *2006 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play - ''Rabbit Hole'' *2011 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play - ''The Merchant of Venice'' *2011 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play - ''The Merchant of Venice'' *2017 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play - ''If I Forget'' *2017 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play - ''The Little Foxes'' *2017 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play - ''The Little Foxes''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Daniel J. 1940 births 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American theatre directors Living people People from Yuma County, Colorado San Francisco State University alumni Film directors from Colorado