John Simpkins
John Simpkins has directed New York productions of the Drama Desk nominated The Jonathan Larson Project at the Orpheum Theatrel; the three-time Drama Desk nominated Bloodsong of Love (Joe Iconis) at Ars Nova; Things to Ruin (which he co-conceived and directed) at Second Stage, Zipper Factory, Ars Nova; The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks at the Lortel Theatre; The Black Suits at SPF/ Public Theatre; The Bus (James Lantz) at 59E59; and ReWrite at Urban Stages. Additional World Premieres include Joe Iconis’ Love in Hate Nation (Two River Theater) and The Black Suits (Center Theatre Group/ Kirk Douglas Theatre), Jacques Lamarre’s Raging Skillet (Theaterworks Hartford), and Andrea Daly/ Jeff Bienstock’s Legendale (Fredericia Teater in Denmark). John’s regional directing includes Weston Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, Barrington Stage, Lyric Theatre Oklahoma, Sacramento Music Circus, Engeman Theatre, and North Carolina Theatre. He also directed the new musical Tyrants (Alexander Sage Oyen/ Nora Brigid Monahan) at the National Archives in Washington, DC. In addition to his directing, John is Head of Musical Theatre at Penn State University, where he created and curates a New Musicals Initiative and has commissioned musicals from writers that include Joe Iconis, Mike Reid/ Sarah Schlesinger, Kirsten Childs, Sam Salmond, Matthew McCollum/ Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Alexander Sage Oyen/ Lauren Marcus/ James Presson, Gilbert Bailey, Maria Wirries/ Christian Thompson, Joshua Salzman/ Ryan Cunningham, and Deborah Abramson/ David Kirshenbaum.