Gordon Edelstein is an American theatre director. He was Artistic Director of the

Long Wharf Theatre Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fou ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

from 2002 until January 2018, when he was fired following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Biography

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in History and Religious Studies from

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalism in the United States, Congrega ...

in 1976. Prior to assuming artistic leadership of Long Wharf Theatre, Edelstein helmed Seattle’s ACT Theatre for five years.

Directing Credits

* At the ACT, they "include the American premiere of

Martin McDonagh Martin Faranan McDonagh (; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director. Born and brought up in London, he is the son of Irish parents. He is known as one of the most acclaimed modern playwrights whose ...

's ''A Skull in Connemara'' (later presented off-Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company), the world premiere of Lisette Lecat Ross's ''Scent of the Roses'' with Julie Harris, and the world premiere adaptation of ''God of Vengeance'' by

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 Brook ...

. His inaugural ACT production of ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a monta ...

'' was named "One of the Best Dramas of 1998" by the

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington s ...

."Long Wharf Theatre
* At Long Wharf, they include the world premieres of Michael Henry Brown's ''The Day the Bronx Died'', Joyce Carol Oates's ''How Do You Like Your Meat?'',

David Wiltse David Wiltse is an American novelist and playwright known for his versatility of form. He is the author of 12 novels, 14 plays and numerous screenplays and teleplays, including the CBS series "Ladies Man". Mr. Wiltse was Playwright in Residence ...

's ''A Dance Lesson'', and the Joe Kennan/Brad Ross musical ''The Times''; plus Joe Sutton's ''Voir Dire'' and

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

's ''

Anna Christie ''Anna Christie'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this work. According to historian Paul Avrich, the o ...

''. His productions of

Christopher Hampton Sir Christopher James Hampton (Horta, Azores, 26 January 1946) is a British playwright, screenwriter, translator and film director. He is best known for his play ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' based on the novel of the same name and the film ...

's The Philanthropist and David Ives' ''

All in the Timing ''All in the Timing'' is a collection of one-act plays by the American playwright David Ives, written between 1987 and 1993. It had its premiere Off-Broadway in 1993 at Primary Stages, and was revived at Primary Stages in 2013. It was first publi ...

'' both received awards from the

Connecticut Critics Circle The Connecticut Critics Circle is an organization of reviewers, feature writers, columnists, and broadcasters throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. It was founded in 1990 Mission statement "To honor the actors, director ...

Awards

In 2008, he was awarded the Tom Killen Award by the Connecticut Critics Circle, their highest honor,Awards
because of "his contributions to theater arts in the state. Edelstein has directed more than 100 plays, musicals and operas across the U.S. and Europe." He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from

in 2003.

Sexual harassment allegations

On January 22, 2018, Edelstein was put on administrative leave from the Long Wharf Theatre, pending review of allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Four women have come forward with complaints of his behavior, dating back to 2003. He was fired on January 23, 2018. On January 24, 2018, Edelstein was stripped of an honorary degree that had been awarded to him by

Albertus Magnus College Albertus Magnus College is a private Catholic university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded by the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs (now Dominican Sisters of Peace), it is located in the Prospect Hill neighborhood of New Haven, n ...

, after he joked about having sex with the college's

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is ...

s. Patricia Twohill, the prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Peace described the joke as "salacious" and said the sisters are "deeply offended".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edelstein, Gordon American theatre directors American theatre managers and producers George W. Hewlett High School alumni People from The Five Towns, New York People from Connecticut Living people Grinnell College alumni American artistic directors People stripped of honorary degrees Year of birth missing (living people)