John Simpkins is a Stage Director and Educator. His directing work includes New York, Regional, and International Theatres and venues – and his directing portfolio focuses on a wide range of shows, styles, and genres – as well as a large emphasis on the development and direction of new musicals.
His most recent New York project was directing The Jonathan Larson Project Off-Broadway last season at the Orpheum Theatre (Drama Desk nomination). He will also soon direct the first production of Salzman and Cunningham’s The Morris and Essex Line, which he commissioned for Penn State Musical Theatre. John is also proud to be in partnership with Concord Theatricals on an annual commission project.
Among the many writers he loves working with, he has had the pleasure of a decades long collaboration with Tony nominee Joe Iconis – directing his shows Family Album, Love in Hate Nation, The Black Suits, Bloodsong of Love, Things to Ruin, Rewrite, The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks, and all 15 years of The Joe Iconis Christmas Extravaganza.
As an educator, John is the Nagle Family Chair of Musical Theatre at Penn State University. Among the new initiatives he has created are a New Musicals commissioning program and a wellness center for young artists.
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MUSICALS IN DEVELOPMENT
CENTRALIA
Book by Adam Chanler-Berat
Music & Lyrics by Julian Hornik
CENTRALIA: A New Musical by Adam Chanler-Berat and Julian Hornik, directed by John Simpkins, commissioned by Penn State Musical Theatre, and featuring the Class of 2026. Music direction by Darren R. Cohen.
WILD CHILD
Book & Lyrics by Dan Marshall
Music by Julianne Wick Davis
Wild Child is a musical adventure exploring themes of grief, friendship, and the transformative power of the natural world.
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of a Wilderness Therapy Center in southern Utah, Wild Child tells the story of an unlikely friendship forged between two young people Darin and Rina, troubled teens who are forced out of their Digital Age comfort zones and dropped into the great outdoors.