Stephen Sachs

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Stephen Sachs is an award-winning playwright, director, producer and the co-Artistic Director of the Fountain Theatre, which he co-founded with Deborah Culver in 1990. The world premiere of his new play, ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE, which he directed, enjoyed a 3-month sold-out run at the Fountain. He recently adapted and directed celebrity readings of MS. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON and ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN at Los Angeles City Hall starring Sam Waterson, Bellamy Young, Bradley Whitford, Joshua Malina and Jeff Perry. His stage adaption of Claudia Rankine’s CITIZEN: AN AMERICAN LYRIC (Stage Raw Award) inaugurated Center Theatre Group’s Block Party at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and was chosen to represent LA theatre for Grand Park’s new Our LA Voices Arts Festival. His play BAKERSFIELD MIST (Elliot Norton Award) enjoyed a 3-month run on London’s West End starring Kathleen Turner and is now being produced in regional theatres across the country and worldwide. Other plays by Sachs include DREAM CATCHER, HEART SONG, CYRANO (LA Drama Critics Circle Award, Ovation Award nomination), MISS JULIE: FREEDOM SUMMER (LA Drama Critics Circle Award nomination), GILGAMESH (Theatre@Boston Court), OPEN WINDOW (Pasadena Playhouse, Media Access Award), CENTRAL AVENUE (PEN USA Literary Award Finalist), SWEET NOTHING IN MY EAR (PEN USA Literary Award Finalist), THE GOLDEN GATE, and THE BARON IN THE TREES. He wrote the screenplay for Sweet Nothing in my Ear for CBS starring Marlee Matlin and Jeff Daniels. Directing credits include ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE (World Premiere), BAKERSFIELD MIST (World Premiere) BROOMSTICK (West Coast Premiere), MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (LA Premiere), Athol Fugard’s THE BLUE IRIS (US Premiere), COMPLETENESS by Itamar Moses, Warren Leight’s SIDE MAN starring Christine Lahti; a China tour of TOP SECRET (LA Theatre Works), THE TRAIN DRIVER by Athol Fugard (US Premiere), Conor McPherson’s SHINING CITY (LA Premiere), Athol Fugard’s COMING HOME (LA Weekly Award), Athol Fugard’s VICTORY (U.S. Premiere, NAACP Award); MISS JULIE: FREEDOM SUMMER (World Premiere), the world premiere of Athol Fugard’s EXITS AND ENTRANCES at the Fountain (Ovation Award, LA Drama Critics Circle Award) and at Primary Stages (Off-Broadway), and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, Fugard’s THE ROAD TO MECCA (LA premiere), Arthur Miller’s AFTER THE FALL (Ovation Award), SWEET NOTHING IN MY EAR (World Premiere), HIPPOLYTOS (new translation by Anne Carson) inaugurating the Outdoor Classical Theater at the Getty Villa in Malibu, and many others. Sachs has been nominated for the SDC Zelda Fichandler Award three times, recognizing an outstanding director who is making a unique and exceptional contribution to theatre in their region.

Sachs was recently honored with a Certificate of Commendation from the Los Angeles City Council for “his visionary contributions to the cultural life of Los Angeles.”

In 2019, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, hailed Sachs as “One of the great citizens and artists in our city.”

“Kinship” – The Making of ARRIVAL AND DEPATURE