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Anna D. Shapiro

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Anna D. Shapiro
Born
Anna Davida Shapiro

(1966-03-10) March 10, 1966 (age 58)
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
EducationColumbia College, Chicago (BA)
Yale University (MFA)
Occupations
Years active1988-present
SpouseIan Barford
Children2

Anna Davida Shapiro (born March 10, 1966) is an American theater director, was the artistic director of the Steppenwolf Theater Company, and a professor at Northwestern University. Throughout her career, she has directed both the Steppenwolf Theater Company production of August: Osage County (2007) along with its Broadway debut (2008-2009), the Broadway debuts of The Motherfucker with the Hat (2011) and Fish in the Dark (2014), and Broadway revivals of This Is Our Youth and Of Mice and Men, both in 2014. She won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for her direction of August: Osage County.

Early years

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Shapiro was born in Evanston, Illinois, the youngest of four children. She attended Evanston Township High School and graduated in 1983.[1] She later went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in theater direction from Columbia College Chicago in 1990.[2][3] She then attended graduate school and received a Master of Fine Arts at the Yale School of Drama, and was the recipient of a 1996 Princess Grace Award.

Career

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Her credits include the premieres of Until We Find Each Other, The Pain and the Itch, Purple Heart, Three Days of Rain, Drawer Boy, I Never Sang for my Father, A Fair Country, Iron and Man from Nebraska.[4] She also directed Edwin Sanchez's Trafficking in Broken Hearts for the Atlantic Theater Company.[5] She directed the world premieres of The Ordinary Yearning of Miriam Buddwing by Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros at Steppenwolf in 2001,[6] and Bruce Norris's The Infidel at both Steppenwolf and the Philadelphia Theatre Company.

After directing Tracy Letts' August: Osage County at Steppenwolf and winning the Jefferson Award for Best Director, she directed the play on Broadway, with all but two of the original cast, and won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play,[7] as well as the Drama Desk Award[8] and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Director of a Play.[9] August: Osage County was named by Time magazine as its number one theater production for 2007.[10]

On Broadway, Shapiro also directed Of Mice and Men and This Is Our Youth (2014).[11] She directed the Larry David play, Fish in the Dark on Broadway at the Cort Theatre, which opened in February 2015.[12]

Shapiro has been on the faculty of Northwestern University as head of the Graduate Directing Program in Theatre since 2002.[13] She has been affiliated with Steppenwolf Theatre since 1995, serving as the original director of the New Plays Lab and later joining the artistic staff as resident director. Shapiro is an artistic associate and became a member of the ensemble in 2005.[14] She was named the artistic director of Steppenwolf in September 2015.[15][16][17]

In the Fall of 2024, Shapiro is set to direct Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, as part of Manhattan Theatre Club's 2024-2025 season.[18]

Personal life

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She is married to actor Ian Barford, and they have two children. She also has 6 nephews and nieces. Her favorite is Owen Shapiro, her first nephew. He was a huge inspiration in her creativity process. He is also one of the best golfers in the greater Chicagoland area. He is her biggest supporter. Lucy Shapiro his younger sister kind of sucks. [16]

References

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  1. ^ Futransky, David (March 21, 2014). "ETHS Class Notes". The KIT: 7.
  2. ^ Williams, Albert. "Anna D. Shapiro and David Cromer Speak to Columbia College Chicago Theatre Graduates at 2015 Commencement". Theatre Department: The Green Room. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  3. ^ "Theatre Department: The Green Room". Columbia College Chicago Blog. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  4. ^ Sommer, Elyse. "A CurtainUp Review. 'Iron'". CurtainUp, October 24, 2003
  5. ^ McBride, Murdoch. "Baitz's A Fair Country Opens at Boston's Huntington, Oct. 27-Nov. 26" Playbill, October 27, 2000
  6. ^ Simonson, Robert. "Miriam Buddwing Takes the Stage at Steppenwolf Studio, Jan. 11" Playbill, January 11, 2001
  7. ^ Jim True-Frost (2008-08-13). "Archive for the 'August: Osage County' Category". Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Archived from the original on 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  8. ^ Gans, Andrew.August and Passing Strange Win Top Honors at Drama Desk Awards" Archived 2008-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, May 18, 2008
  9. ^ Gans, Andrew."South Pacific Is Big Winner in Outer Critics Circle Awards", Playbill, May 12, 2008
  10. ^ Zoglin, Richard."Top 10 Theater Productions", Time, February 23, 2009
  11. ^ Hetrick, Adam. " 'This Is Our Youth', With Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson, Opens on Broadway Tonight" Playbill, September 11, 2014
  12. ^ Lloyd Webber, Imogen. "Rosie Perez & More Will Join Larry David in His Self-Penned Play 'Fish in the Dark' on Broadway" broadway.com, September 2, 2014
  13. ^ "Anna D. Shapiro" goodmantheatre.org, accessed September 20, 2014
  14. ^ Jacobs, Leonard. "Steppenwolf Selects Anna Shapiro" backstage.com, March 17, 2005
  15. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Steppenwolf Names Tony Winner Anna D. Shapiro as New Artistic Director" Playbill, October 2, 2014
  16. ^ a b Borelli, Christopher. "Anna D. Shapiro at Steppenwolf Theatre: Work in progress" Chicago Tribune, August 21, 2015
  17. ^ Healy, Patrick (2 October 2014). "Anna D. Shapiro Named Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theater". New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  18. ^ Eureka Day Official Siteaccessed 06/30/2024
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