Leigh Silverman is an American director for the stage, both off-Broadway and on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2014 and 2024 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the musicals Violet and Suffs, and the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for the play From Up Here.
Biography Early life Silverman was born in Rockville, Maryland on December 18, 1974, went to high school in Washington, D.C., and attended Carnegie Mellon University, earning a BFA in Directing and an MFA in Playwriting.Tallmer, Jerry. "The personal, universal world of Leigh Silverman" The Villager, October 4–10, 2006 (Vol. 76, Number 20)"Interview with Director, Leigh Silverman" roundabouttheatre.org, March 26, 2014
Upon graduation, she had an internship at the New York Theatre Workshop. Silverman said "I can say, without a doubt, that most, if not all, of my important theatrical relationships came out of my time with New York Theater Workshop."McElroy, Steven. "One to Watch. Leigh Silverman" The New York Times, February 26, 2006, accessed May 18, 2016
Career Silverman directed the Lisa Kron play Well off-Broadway at The Public Theater; the play ran from March 2004 to May 2004. She also directed Well on Broadway in 2006. Among other awards, the play was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding Off-Broadway Play. She directed Kron's play In the Wake in its premiere engagement at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles, California in March 2010.Stoudt, Charlotte. "Lisa Kron's 'The Wake' revisits the 2000 presidential election and Sept. 11" Los Angeles Times March 14, 2010 She directed In the Wake at the Public Theater in November 2010.Hetrick, Adam. "Thanksgiving Gets Political in Lisa Kron's 'In the Wake', Opening at the Public Nov. 1" playbill.com, November 1, 2010
She has directed many plays off-Broadway, including Blue Door by Tanya Barfield in 2006 at Playwrights Horizons, for which she was nominated for the Audelco Award, Best Director. The New York Times reviewer wrote that the play was "directed with care by Leigh Silverman."Isherwood, Charles. "Theater Review. 'Blue Door'. With Help From Family Ghosts, Tricking Out the Mysteries of Identity" The New York Times, October 9, 2006 She directed From Up Here, by Liz Flahive at The Manhattan Theatre Club's off-Broadway City Center Stage I in 2008Jones, Kenneth. "Tony Winner Julie White Stars in Flahive's 'From Up Here' in NYC" playbill.com March 27, 2008 and received a 2008 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Director of a Play.Gans, Andrew. "Drama Desk Nominees Announced; 'Catered Affair' Garners 12 Noms" playbill.com, April 28, 2008 She directed David Greenspan's Go Back to Where You Are at the off-Broadway Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater, opening in March 2011.Jones, Kenneth. "David Greenspan Is Time-Traveling Actor in 'Go Back to Where You Are', Beginning March 24" playbill.com, March 24, 2011 She received the 2011 Obie Award, as director, for Go Back to Where You Are and In the Wake.The 56th Obie Awards" nytheatre-wire.com, accessed April 29, 2015Grode, Eric. "56th Annual Obie" Village Voice, May 18, 2011
On Broadway, she was the Associate Director for the musical Never Gonna Dance in 2003. She directed Chinglish by David Henry Hwang at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago in June to July 2011 and on Broadway in October 2011.Jones, Kenneth. "West Meets East: David Henry Hwang's 'Chinglish' Opens on Broadway" playbill.com, October 27, 2011 She was nominated for the Joseph Jefferson Awards as Director of the Goodman Theatre production of Chinglish.
Silverman directed the premiere of Hansol Jung's Cardboard Piano at the 2016 Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky. She directed the revival of the musical Violet on Broadway for the Roundabout Theatre Company in 2013 and received a Tony Award nomination as Best Director.Gordon, David. "With 'Violet' on Broadway, Director Leigh Silverman Journeys to Her First Tony Nomination" theatermania.com, May 22, 2014 The USA Today reviewer wrote that the musical was "quietly affecting and lovingly staged by director Leigh Silverman."Gardner, Elysa. "Sutton Foster shows different shades in 'Violet'" USA Today, April 21, 2014
Silverman directed Bright Half Life, a new play by Tanya Barfield at the off-Broadway Women's Project Theatre in February 2015. This was the third time Silverman and Barfield had worked together.Clement, Olivia. "Tanya Barfield's 'Bright Half Life', Directed by Leigh Silverman, Opens Off-Broadway Tonight" playbill.com, February 25, 2015 She previously directed Barfield's The Call in 2013 and Blue Door in 2006.
She directed the world premiere of the Neil LaBute play The Way We Get By at the off-Broadway Second Stage Theatre, which opened on May 19, 2015, and closed on June 21. The cast starred Thomas Sadoski and Amanda Seyfried.Levitt, Hayley. "First Look at Thomas Sadoski and Amanda Seyfried in 'The Way We Get By'" theatermania.com, May 6, 2015Levitt, Hayley. "'The Way We Get By' Extends at Second Stage" May 27, 2015The Way We Get By lortel.org, accessed October 8, 2015 She directed the Encores! Off-Center production of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party in July 2015, starring Sutton Foster and Steven Pasquale."Review Roundup: Encores! Off-Center's 'The Wild Party'" broadwayworld.com, July 16, 2015 She directed another LaBute play, All the Ways to Say I Love You, which ran off-Broadway from September 28, 2016 to October 23, 2016 and starred Judith Light in this solo play.Clement, Olivia. " 'All the Ways to Say I Love You', Starring Judith Light, Opens Tonight", Playbill, September 28, 2016Brantley, Ben. "Review: ‘All the Ways to Say I Love You,’ a Lesson in Guilt", The New York Times, September 28, 2016Staff. "Critics Review Judith Light in Neil LaBute’s 'All the Ways to Say I Love You'", Playbill, September 29, 2016
She directed the off-Broadway revival of the musical Sweet Charity, which started at the Pershing Square Signature Center on November 2, 2016 (previews) and ran through December 23. The musical starred Sutton Foster.Clement, Olivia. " 'Sweet Charity' Announces Two-Week Extension", Playbill, August 22, 2016
For the Roundabout Theatre's Underground, she directed On the Exhale by Martin Zimmerman, which premiered off-Broadway at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre on February 7, 2017 (previews), and ran through April 2. This one-woman play starred Marin Ireland.McPheee, Ryan. "Marin Ireland Will Star in 'On the Exhale', Martin Zimmerman's New Play About America's Gun Violence Crisis, Off-Broadway", broadway.com, September 26, 2017
In 2017 she also directed the world premiere of Hurricane Diane by Madeleine George at the Two River Theater in New Jersey. The cast included Mia Barron (Sandy Fleischer), Becca Blackwell (Diane), Nikiya Mathis (Renee Shapiro-Epps), Danielle Skraastad (Pam Annunziata) and Kate Wetherhead (Beth Wann). In September of the same year, Silverman directed the world premiere of Hansol Jung's Wild Goose Dreams at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego.
In 2018, for the Minetta Lane Theatre she directed the monologue Harry Clarke by David Cale with Billy Crudup in the title role.
She directed the world premiere of David Henry Hwang's musical Soft Power at the Ahmanson Theatre in from May to June 2018. The production was presented by Center Theatre Group in association with East West Players, and featured music by Jeanine Tesori as well as choreography by Sam Pinkleton.
In 2022, Silverman was featured in the book 50 Key Figures in Queer US Theatre, with a profile written by theatre scholar Bess Rowen. She also directed the Off-Broadway premiere of Suffs at The Public Theater, and its subsequent 2024 Broadway transfer, receiving nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and Drama League Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical.
Following Suffs, Silverman directed the Broadway production of Yellow Face for Roundabout Theatre Company's 2024-2025 season, returning to the play after having directed the 2007 off-Broadway production.Roundabout Yellow Faceaccessed 06/30/2024
Silverman then directed the 2025 premiere of The Seat of Our Pants, premiering Off-Broadway at The Public Theater, an adaptation of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth. For her direction, she was nominated for the 2026 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical and Drama League Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical.
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.2007Audelco AwardDirectorBlue Door2008Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Director of a PlayFrom Up Here2011Obie AwardDistinguished DirectionIn the Wake, Go Back to Where You Are2014Tony AwardBest Direction of a MusicalViolet2022Drama League AwardOutstanding Direction of a MusicalSuffs2024Tony AwardBest Direction of a Musical2026Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Director of a MusicalThe Seat of Our PantsDrama League AwardOutstanding Direction of a Musical
References
External links