This site is designed to introduce you to my work as a director and writer. I have over twenty-five years of experience as a theatre director and am always looking for new collaborators, producers, and theatre companies with whom I can share my work. I have home bases at The Ensemble Studio Theatre in Manhattan (where I am a lifetime artist member and have served in the past as Literary Manager and Casting Director), The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute (where I am currently on faculty), and The Gallery Players of Brooklyn (where I have directed four productions), in addition to an active freelance career.

         My directing projects mostly fall into three categories: classics, musicals, and new plays. I love working with playwrights on brand new pieces, and have strong dramaturgical skills developed through years of work as a Literary Manager. I am also known for my Shakespeare productions (eighteen and counting); my style is based in character relationships and storytelling, discovering what keeps these plays active and alive for the modern audience while being scrupulously faithful to Shakespeare’s poetry. Other favorite playwrights whose work I’ve directed more than once include Tennessee Williams, Noel Coward, and Lanford Wilson. Currently, I’m particularly interested in directing classics for university or college training programs, and have enjoyed working with students as a guest director for The Stella Adler Studio/NYU Tisch and the University of Illinois.

         Alongside my directing career, I am a produced and published playwright, and I would love to share my scripts with you. Though I have written in a variety of genres, I describe most of my plays as serious comedies with a social conscience. Several of my plays have been published by Next Stage Press. In recent years, I have also developed my lifelong interest in musical theatre history into a new path writing nonfiction: my books A CHORUS LINE FAQ: ALL THAT’S LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT BROADWAY’S SINGULAR SENSATION and RENT FAQ: ALL THAT’S LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT BROADWAY’S BLAZE OF GLORY, published by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, are both available in most bookstores. This site will give you an idea of the range of my creative interests and projects. I hope you enjoy it, and I would love to speak with you about possibilities for collaboration.

~Tom Rowan