Robert Falls

Last updated
Robert Falls
Born (1954-03-02) March 2, 1954 (age 70)
Ashland, Illinois, U.S.
Education University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BFA)
Spouse Kat Falls [1]
Children3

Robert Falls (born March 2, 1954) is an American theater director and the former artistic director of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Contents

Biography

Early years

Robert Arthur Falls was born March 2, 1954, in Springfield, IL to Arthur Joseph Falls and Nancy (Stribling) Falls. He grew up in a rural farming community in Ashland, IL. His family moved to Champaign when he was 12, and not long afterward to suburban Chicago, where Robert attended high school. In 1976, he received his BFA in Directing and Playwriting at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, after which he briefly studied acting with Edward Kaye-Martin in New York. Falls soon returned to the Midwest to direct his U of I production of Michael Weller’s Moonchildren for Apollo Productions in Chicago. Moonchildren‘s success earned Falls his first Joseph Jefferson Award, and when his 1977 production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men at Wisdom Bridge Theatre landed him a second Jeff Award, the company hired Falls, age 23, to be its artistic director. [2]

Under Falls’s leadership, Wisdom Bridge became known for its innovative interpretations and made a significant contribution to off-Loop theatre. Among the plays Falls directed while there were Arthur Kopit’s Wings (1979), Tom Stoppard’s Travesties (1980), Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children (1981), Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire (1982), an adaptation of Jack Abbott’s letters, In the Belly of the Beast: Letters from Prison (1983), and Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1985). He led Wisdom Bridge for eight years before being named the Goodman Theatre’s Artistic Director in 1986. [3]

Directing career

Hailed as “Chicago’s most essential director” (Chicago Tribune), Tony Award-winner Robert Falls’ theater and opera work over four decades has included ground-breaking new plays, reimagined classics, large-scale musical works and more. He has been featured in American Theatre magazine as one of the "most powerful" individuals in the American theater.

Two of Mr. Falls’ most highly acclaimed Broadway productions, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (first staged at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre) were honored with seven Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. Other noteworthy Broadway productions include Conor McPherson’s Shining City (Tony Award nomination); Eric Bogosian’s Talk Radio (Tony Award nomination); The Rose Tattoo at Circle in the Square (Tony Award nomination); Desire under the Elms; The Night of the Iguana; and Horton Foote’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man from Atlanta. Falls’ Broadway production of Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, for which he also co-wrote the book, continues to be produced around the world. [4]

Falls’ Off-Broadway productions include The Iceman Cometh, starring Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy, for the Brooklyn Academy of Music; Beth Henley’s The Jacksonian; Rebecca Gilman’s Swing State and Blue Surge; Nicky Silver’s The Food Chain; Eric Bogosian’s subUrbia at Lincoln Center Theater (Obie Award); and David Cale’s We’re Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time and the Public Theater. His other honors for directing include a Helen Hayes Award (King Lear) and many Joseph Jefferson Awards.

Falls made his operatic debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with his 1993 production of Carlyle Floyd’s Susannah, starring Renee Fleming and Samuel Ramey. In 1996, he directed Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul for the Lyric Opera.  His production of Susannah has also been performed at New York's Metropolitan Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Washington Opera, the Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland, and the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao, Spain.  In 2019, he directed a new production of Don Giovanni  for Lyric Opera of Chicago, and again in 2020 for Dallas Opera. [5]

In 2015, Falls was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame for his achievements as a Broadway director and pioneering artist in the American theater. Additional honors include: Savva Morozov Diamond Award (Moscow Art Theatre), O’Neill Medallion (Eugene O’Neill Society), Human Spirit Award (Chicago Institute of Psychoanalysis), Governor's Award for Outstanding Contributions by an Individual Artist (Illinois Arts Council), "Chicagoan of the Year" (Chicago magazine), Artistic Leadership Award (League of Chicago Theatres), election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (Lake Forest College), Special Jeff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Theatre, Chicago Illini of the Year Award (University of Illinois), and in recognition of his visionary direction and impact on Chicago theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards honored him with a special award in 2023. [6] [7]

Goodman Theatre

From 1986 to 2022, Robert Falls served as the Artistic Director of Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. In 35 years of leadership, the Tony-award winner brought international prominence to the Goodman with ground-breaking productions; built a state-of-the-art theater and education complex; established acclaimed community programs; and turned Chicago’s largest not-for-profit theater into one of the nation’s premier arts organizations. Under his leadership, the Goodman received the 1992 Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater and, in 2003, was named “the number one regional theater in the U.S.” by Time magazine.

During his tenure at the Goodman, Falls directed more than 40 productions and produced/co-produced hundreds of plays including more than 150 world premieres. Additionally, he helped transfer more than two dozen shows to Broadway which earned over 20 Tony Awards. His productions of Eugene O'Neill plays, in partnership with the late Brian Dennehy, his longtime collaborator, were presented on Broadway, as well as at the Stratford Festival and at Dublin's Abbey Theatre. Productions include Galileo (1986); The Iceman Cometh (1990 and 2012, with Nathan Lane); A Touch of the Poet (1996); Death of A Salesman (1999); Long Day’s Journey into Night (2001); Hughie (2004); and Desire Under the Elms (2009). Under Falls' leadership, the Goodman also received more than 160 Jeff Awards.

Falls’s previous Goodman productions include, most notably, the Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey for which Falls wrote a new book; the American premiere of Alan Ayckbourn’s House and Garden; the world premiere of Richard Nelson’s Frank’s Home; Rebecca Gilman’s Swing State, Luna Gale, and Dollhouse; Adam Rapp’s The Sound Inside; King Lear; Measure for Measure; The Tempest; The Winter’s Tale; The Misanthrope; Landscape of the Body; Three Sisters; Uncle Vanya; Pamplona; Eric Bogosian’s Griller; Steve Tesich’s The Speed of Darkness and On the Open Road; John Logan’s Riverview: A Melodrama with Music; the world premiere of Arthur Miller’s final play Finishing the Picture; David Cale’s We’re Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time; his own adaptation of The Seagull; his own adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People; the world premiere of Chilean novelist Roberto Bolaño’s epic work 2666, which Falls co-adapted and co-directed with Seth Bockley; and his own adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. [8]

Falls stepped down as Goodman Theatre Artistic Director at the end of the 2022-23 season, which culminated with his award-winning production of Anton Chekov's A Cherry Orchard. [9] [10]

Personal life

In 1993, Falls married Kathleen Moynihan, an American novelist specializing in young adult science-fiction (pen name Kat Falls.) They have three children: Declan, Vivienne, and Connor Falls.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Warchus</span> British director and dramatist

Matthew Warchus is an English theatre director, filmmaker and dramaturg. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theater in Chicago</span> Theater performed in Chicago, Illinois

Theater in Chicago describes not only theater performed in Chicago, Illinois, but also to the movement in Chicago that saw a number of small, meagerly funded companies grow to institutions of national and international significance. Chicago had long been a popular destination for touring productions, as well as original productions that transfer to Broadway and other cities. According to Variety editor Gordon Cox, beside New York City, Chicago has one of the most lively theater scenes in the United States. As many as 100 shows could be seen any given night from 200 companies as of 2018, some with national reputations and many in creative "storefront" theaters, demonstrating a vibrant theater scene "from the ground up". According to American Theatre magazine, Chicago's theater is "justly legendary".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bartlett Sher</span> American theatre director (born 1959)

Bartlett B. Sher is an American theatre director. The New York Times has described him as "one of the most original and exciting directors, not only in the American theater but also in the international world of opera". Sher has been nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the 2008 Broadway revival of South Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organic Theater Company</span>

Organic Theater Company was founded in 1969 in Madison, Wisconsin by artistic director Stuart Gordon and his wife Carolyn Purdy Gordon.

Mary Zimmerman is an American theatre and opera director and playwright from Nebraska. She is an ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, the Manilow Resident Director at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, and also serves as the Jaharis Family Foundation Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University.

Michael Wilson is an American stage and screen director working extensively on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at the nation's leading resident theaters.

Gregory Mosher is an American director and producer of stage productions at the Lincoln Center and Goodman Theatres, on and off-Broadway, at the Royal National Theatre, and in the West End. He is also a film director and television director, producer, and writer. He currently serves as Senior Associate Dean for the Arts at Hunter College.

Michael Kahn CBE is an American theater director and drama educator. He was the artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. from 1986 until his retirement in 2019. He held the position of Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division of the Juilliard School from 1992 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cristofer</span> American actor and director

Michael Cristofer is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for The Shadow Box in 1977. From 2015 to 2019, he played the role of Phillip Price in the television series Mr. Robot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Quintero</span> Panamanian theatre director and producer

José Benjamín Quintero was a Panamanian theatre director, producer and pedagogue best known for his interpretations of the works of Eugene O'Neill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCarter Theatre</span> Theater on the campus of Princeton University

McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. It was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1973. A two-time Tony Award winner, the McCarter’s legacy traces back to the theatre’s first performances in 1930. Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, Kaufmann and Hart’s You Can't Take It With You, and William Inge’s Bus Stop all had their premieres on the McCarter stage.

Jack O'Brien is an American director, producer, writer and lyricist. He served as the Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California from 1981 through the end of 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Leon</span> American stage and television director

Kenny Leon is an American director and producer. He is notable for his extensive work on Broadway, on television, and in regional theater. He has received a Tony Award and a Drama League Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Drama Desk Award.

Talk Radio is a 1987 Pulitzer Prize-nominated play written by Eric Bogosian, based on a concept by Bogosian and Tad Savinar.

Mark Lamos is an American theatre and opera director, producer and actor. Under his direction, Hartford Stage won the 1989 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and he has been nominated for two other Tonys. For more than 15 seasons, he has been artistic director of the Westport Country Playhouse. In May 2023, he announced he will leave the post in January 2024.

Frank Joseph Galati was an American director, writer, and actor. He was a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company and an associate director at Goodman Theatre. He taught at Northwestern University for many years.

Diane Marie Paulus is an American theater and opera director who is currently the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Paulus was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for her revivals of Hair and The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and won the award in 2013 for her revival of Pippin.

Mark Brokaw is an American theatre director. He won the Drama Desk Award, Obie Award and Lucille Lortel Award as Outstanding Director of a Play for How I Learned to Drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivo van Hove</span> Belgian theatre director (born 1958)

Ivo van Hove is a Belgian theatre director known as the artistic director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam in the Netherlands and for his Off-Broadway avant-garde experimental theatre productions. On Broadway, he has directed revival productions of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, and The Crucible, Lee Hall's Network in 2018, and Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story in 2020. Among his numerous awards he has received a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award for A View from the Bridge. He was made a Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France in 2004, and a Commander in the Order of the Crown in 2016.

Stephen Karam is an American playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays Sons of the Prophet, a comedy-drama about a Lebanese-American family, and The Humans were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012 and 2016, respectively. The Humans won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play, and Karam wrote and directed a film adaptation of the play, released in 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Kat Falls Rights and Coeditions". Scholastic Corporation . Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Robert Falls | Award-Winning American Theatre Director | Britannica". 27 February 2024.
  3. ↑ "Robert Falls - Previous FAA Legacy Award Recipients". College of Fine and Applied Arts - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign .
  4. ↑ "Robert Falls - Artist Bio". Goodman Theatre .
  5. ↑ "Director's note: Robert Falls on DON GIOVANNI".
  6. ↑ "Theater Hall of Fame Announces 2015 Inductees". 23 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "Artistic Director Robert Falls Celebrates 20 Years at the Goodman - Theatre News - Theatre in Chicago".
  8. ↑ "5 Novellas, 5 Hours, 5 Years: The Goodman's '2666' Adds up". 10 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Robert Falls to Depart Goodman Theatre in 2022". 15 September 2021.
  10. ↑ Jones, Chris (15 September 2021). "Exclusive: Goodman Theatre artistic director Robert Falls is stepping down". Chicago Tribune .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.