Michael Mayer (born June 27, 1960) is an American

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 ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, 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 ...

. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2007 for directing '' Spring Awakening''.

Biography

Mayer was born in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which ...

, to Jewish parents Jerry and Louise Mayer (born 1936). For his bar mitzvah, he asked his parents for a movie camera and received a Super 8 single lens with a zoom. His first film was a dramatization of "

The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is a Southern Gothic murder ballad, written in 1972 by songwriter Bobby Russell and first recorded by his then wife, singer, comedian, and actress Vicki Lawrence. Lawrence's version, from her 1973 alb ...

". After graduating from Charles W. Woodward High School, he studied at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

before transferring to study acting at

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, th ...

(NYU)'s Graduate Acting Program at the

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

, where he earned an MFA in Theater in 1983. He began performing onstage in New York City, performing in plays such as Tony Kushner's ''

A Bright Room Called Day ''A Bright Room Called Day'' is a play by American playwright Tony Kushner, author of ''Angels in America''. Synopsis The play is set in Germany in 1932 and 1933, and concerns a group of friends caught up in the events of the fall of the Weimar R ...

,'' but by 1990 had turned his efforts to directing, working as a

freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...

while also teaching at NYU, the Lincoln Center Theater Institute, and the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

. He also served as an assistant director for Kushner's ''Hydriotaphia''.

Broadway

In 2007, Mayer won his first Tony Award for his direction of the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

adaptation of '' Spring Awakening'' (2006), which also won the award for Best Musical. He was nominated for the 2002 Tony for his direction of ''

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical- romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve yo ...

'', which he then directed on London's West End. Mayer also won 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. F ...

for Outstanding Director of a Musical for both ''Spring Awakening'' and ''Thoroughly Modern Millie''. Other

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 ...

credits include '' The Lion in Winter'' (1999), the 1999 revival of '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,'' and '' Side Man'' (1998; Drama Desk Award). He directed the 1998 Tony Award-winning revival of

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's ''

A View from the Bridge ''A View from the Bridge'' is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was first staged on September 29, 1955, as a one-act verse drama with ''A Memory of Two Mondays'' at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The run was unsuccessful, and M ...

'' starring

Anthony LaPaglia Anthony LaPaglia (, ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Jack Malone in the television drama ''Without a Trace'' (2002–2009), for which he received a Golden Globe Award in 2004. LaPaglia won a Prim ...

and

Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and pursued a career in acting. Her breakthrough role was as Tai Fras ...

, for which he was nominated for a Tony and won a Drama Desk Award. He directed '' Triumph of Love'' in 1997, starring

Betty Buckley Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American ...

, Susan Egan, and F. Murray Abraham, with music by Jeffrey Stock and lyrics by Susan Bikenhead. Mayer directed and co-wrote the book for the

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a ...

-inspired musical '' American Idiot'', based on the band's album of the same name. He directed and "re-conceived" the 2011 revival of ''

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on ''Berkeley Square'', written in 1926 by John L. Balderston. It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been re ...

'' starring Harry Connick Jr. He directed the first Broadway production of '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', which opened in 2014.

Off-Broadway

Mayer's

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

directing credits include ''Little Shop of Horrors, The Credeaux Canvas'', John C. Russell's ''

Stupid Kids ''Stupid Kids'' is a play by John C. Russell (1963–1994), first published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc. of New York, and first performed in 1991. Very similar in tone, plot, and characters to the film Rebel Without a Cause, the play follows ...

'', Peter Hedges' ''Baby Anger'',

Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's ...

's ''View of the Dome'', and the New York premiere of Janusz Głowacki's ''Antigone in New York''.

Film and television

After directing on- and off-Broadway for more than 15 years, Mayer made his feature-film directorial debut with '' A Home at the End of the World'', starring

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in projects across various genres in both blockbuster and independent films since the 2000s, he has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award. ''The ...

and Robin Wright Penn, in 2004. He went on to make the family film '' Flicka'' (2006), an adaptation of the story '' My Friend Flicka'', which became a hit in DVD market. In 2013 and 2014 he directed select episodes of Amazon's '' Alpha House'' starring

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, ...

. In 2015, he directed a new film adaptation of ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises ...

'', starring

Annette Bening Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over four decades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominati ...

Corey Stoll Corey Stoll (born March 14, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Congressman Peter Russo on the Netflix political thriller series '' House of Cards'' (2013–2016), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination in 20 ...

, and Saoirse Ronan. He directed the pilot and three subsequent episodes of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's TV series '' Smash'', which were broadcast starting in February 2012. He should not be confused with the identically spelled Michael Mayer, who directed a film titled ''Graduation'' (2007).

Opera

Mayer made his

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

debut in 2012 with ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had co ...

''; he reset the scene from 16th-century

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

to 1960s

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

. He was the director of the premiere of Nico Muhly's ''

Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...

'' for the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

in 2017, which was later performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 2018. He also directed a new production of

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the ...

's ''

La traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on '' La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his ow ...

'' for the Metropolitan Opera in December 2018.

Personal life

Mayer is openly gay. He lives with his partner, oncologist Roger Waltzmann, in

Chelsea, Manhattan Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The area's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, the Hudson River and West Street to the west, and Sixth Avenue to the east, with its norther ...

. He is close friends with playwright

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 ...

, whom he met while studying at NYU.

Stage productions

Broadway * '' Funny Girl'' (2022) * '' Burn This'' (2019) * '' Head Over Heels'' (2018) * '' The Terms of My Surrender'' (2017) * '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (2014) * ''

'' (2011) * '' Everyday Rapture'' (2010) * '' American Idiot'' (2010) * '' Spring Awakening'' (2006) * ''

'' (2002) * '' 'night, Mother'' (2004) * '' After the Fall'' (2004) * '' An Almost Holy Picture'' (2002) * ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the di ...

'' (2000) * '' The Lion in Winter'' (1999) * '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' (1999) * '' Side Man'' (1998) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Triumph of Love'' (1997) Off-Broadway * ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * ''The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 film directed by Roger Corman ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (film), a 1986 film adaptati ...

'' (2019) * ''WarholCapote'' (2017) * ''Love, Love, Love'' (2016) * ''God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater'' (2016) * ''Whorl Inside a Loop'' (2015, with Dick Scanlan) * ''Brooklynite'' (2015) * '' Everyday Rapture'' (2009) * ''Our House'' * ''10 Million Miles'' * ''Spring Awakening'' (2006) * ''Missing Persons'' * ''America Dreaming'' * ''Hundreds of Hats'' West End * '' Funny Girl'' (2016) National tour * '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (2016–17) * '' American Idiot'' (2011–13) * '' Spring Awakening'' (2008–10) * ''

'' (2003–04) * ''

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 f ...

'' (1994–95) Opera * ''

'' (

, 2012) * ''

'' (

, 2017; Metropolitan Opera, 2018) * ''

'' (Metropolitan Opera, 2018) Film * '' Single All the Way'' (2021) * ''

'' (2018) * '' Flicka'' (2006) * '' A Home at the End of the World'' (2004)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * *

Steven Drukman Steven Drukman is an American playwright and journalist. Biography In 2000, Drukman received a Ph.D. from New York University, where he is currently an associate professor. Drukman spent many years writing for the Arts and Leisure section of ''T ...

"A Two-Career Man: Theater Director And Jewish Mother"
''The New York Times'', January 3, 1999. Retrieved July 2, 2007.
Mayer milestones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayer, Michael 1960 births American theatre directors American opera directors American dramatists and playwrights LGBT dramatists and playwrights Jewish dramatists and playwrights Drama Desk Award winners LGBT theatre directors LGBT people from Maryland Living people Tony Award winners Tisch School of the Arts alumni People from Bethesda, Maryland New York University faculty LGBT Jews Jewish theatre directors Jewish American writers