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. She directed In the Wake at the Public Theater in November 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." She directed From Up Here, by Liz Flahive at The Manhattan Theatre Club's off-Broadway City Center Stage I in 2008 and received a 2008 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Director of a Play. 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. She received the 2011 Obie Award, as director, for Go Back to Where You Are and In the Wake.
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. 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. The USAToday reviewer wrote that the musical was "quietly affecting and lovingly staged by director Leigh Silverman."
Silverman directed Bright Half Life, a new play by Tanya Barfield at the off-Broadway Women's Project Theatre in February 2015. This is the third time Silverman and Barfield have worked together. (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. She directed the Encores! Off-Center production of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party in July 2015, starring Sutton Foster and Steven Pasquale. 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.
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.
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.
In 2017 she also directed the world-premiere of Hurricane Diane by Madeleine George at the Two River Theater in New York. 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 also 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.
From: Photo Flash: David Henry Hwang, Leigh Silverman and More in Rehearsal for CHINGLISH at Berkeley Rep
From: Photo Coverage: Meet Rosie Perez, David Hyde Pierce & Company of CLOSE UP SPACE
From: Photo Coverage: 'Go Back To Where You Are' Meets the Press
From: Photo Coverage: 'Go Back To Where You Are' Meets the Press
From: Photo Coverage: 'Go Back To Where You Are' Meets the Press
From: Photo Coverage: 'Go Back To Where You Are' Meets the Press
From: Photo Coverage: 'Go Back To Where You Are' Meets the Press
Leigh Silverman, Suffs
Leigh Silverman, SUFFS
Leigh Silverman, Soft Power
Leigh SilvermanSustained Excellence in Directing
Leigh Silverman, Harry Clarke
Leigh Silverman, Violet
Leigh Silverman, In The Wake
Leigh Silverman, Go Back To Where You Are
Leigh Silverman, In the Wake
Leigh Silverman, From Up Here
Read the full list of 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards Nominations! Leading the nominations are Stereophonic and Dead Outlaw.
Suffs will release its Original Broadway Cast Recording on June 14th. The album is now available for pre-order.
Read the full list of 2024 Drama League Nominations! Nominations include Cabaret, Merrily We Roll Along and more.
The fight for women's votes has made its way to Broadway in Suffs, a new musical from Shaina Taub, opening tonight at the Music Box Theatre! Read the reviews below to see how the critics responded to this historic new musical!
According to reports, Phillipa Soo will be appearing alongside Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson in an upcoming drama from Ryan Murphy, co-creator of Glee. Other than the title- Dr. Odyssey- few details about the show have been announced, including the plot or Soo's role. Soo is best known for originating the role of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton in Broadway's critically acclaimed show Hamilton.
Following yesterday's social media tease, BroadwayWorld can confirm Rachel Zegler (Steven Spielberg's West Side Story) and Kit Connor (Netflix's Heartstopper) will star as Juliet and Romeo respectively in a revival of William Shakespeare's most famous play on Broadway this fall.
On Wednesday April 3, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Lin-Manuel Miranda hosted a fundraiser at new Broadway musical Suffs to support President Biden’s campaign. Check out photos here!
Clubbed Thumb has revealed the complete line-up for the 27th SUMMERWORKS festival of new plays. See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets.
The Almeida Theatre production of Patriots officially begins previews on Broadway tonight, April 1. Meet the cast of Patriots here!
The American Theatre Wing celebrated the recipients of the 2023 Jonathan Larson Grant, the esteemed annual prize awarded to exceptional emerging musical theatre composers, lyricists, and librettists, or writing teams. A special concert, showcasing the past four years of Jonathan Larson Grant winning artists, was held at Florence Gould Halland BroadwayWorld was there for the special night. Check out photos below!
Suffs has announced their rush and digital lottery policies, including special $19.20 rush tickets available for purchase in person during previews. Find out how to get discount tickets to Suffs here!
The official audio recording of Shaina Taub performing a stripped-down version of the song 'Keep Watching' from Suffs is available now on streaming platforms! The song can be downloaded or listened to here.
Secretary Hillary Clinton, who serves as a producer on Suffs, recently appeared in a promotional video for the musical, which also features writer-composer-lyricist and star Shaina Taub and several cast members. Check out the video here!
Shaina Taub and the cast of Suffs gave a sneak peek at the musical with a special performance at the Great Hall at Cooper Union yesterday. BroadwayWorld was there and you can check out photos here!
New York Theatre Workshop has announced the full cast & creative team for Here There Are Blueberries, co-written by NYTW Usual Suspect and Tony & Emmy Award nominee Moisés Kaufman & Emmy Award nominee Amanda Gronich, and conceived & directed by Moisés Kaufman.
Vineyard's Annual Gala, honoring Tony Award-winning actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, was held Monday, February 26, 2024 at the Edison Ballroom. BroadwayWorld was there and you can check out photos from the big night here!
The full Broadway cast has been announced for the Almeida Theatre production of Patriots, the new play by Peter Morgan. Learn more about the show and find out who is starring here!
The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) announces the recipient of the 2024 Mike Ockrent Fellowship.
The American Theatre Wing and The Drama Book Shop have partnered to launch of The Playreaders Club, a tiered, monthly in-person and virtual events-based club for theater enthusiasts. Learn more about how to join!
This week, Hillary Rodham Clinton joined the cast of new Broadway musical Suffs for their first rehearsal at New 42 Studios. Check out photos of Clinton with the company here!
Leigh Silverman has been nominated for several awards for her outstanding work in directing. These nominations include Outstanding Direction of a Musical at the Drama League Awards for "SUFFS," Outstanding Director of a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards for "Soft Power," and a Directing Award at the Obie Awards for Sustained Excellence in Directing. She has also been nominated for Outstanding Director at The Lortels for "Harry Clarke" and "In the Wake," Best Direction of a Musical at the Tony Awards for "Violet," and for Directing at the Obie Awards for "In The Wake" and "Go Back To Where You Are." Additionally, Leigh Silverman received nominations for Outstanding Director at The Lortels for "In the Wake" and for Outstanding Director of a Play at the Drama Desk Awards for "From Up Here."
Leigh Silverman has won the Directing Award for Sustained Excellence in Directing at the Obie Awards, as well as the Directing award for In The Wake and Go Back To Where You Are.
Videos