JOHN SIMPKINS
Stage Director
Professor & Head of Musical Theatre – Penn State University
John Simpkins is the director of The Jonathan Larson Project – opening Off-Broadway in March 2025 at the Orpheum Theatre. Also in New York, he directed the three-time Drama Desk nominated Off-Broadway production of Bloodsong of Love (by Tony nominee Joe Iconis) at Ars Nova. Additional New York credits with Mr. Iconis include the Off-Broadway productions of ReWrite (Urban Stages); The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks (Theatreworks, USA- Lucille Lortel Theatre); Things to Ruin (which he co-conceived and directed productions of at Second Stage, Le Poisson Rouge, Zipper Factory, Joe’s Pub, Ars Nova, NYMF) and The Black Suits (SPF at the Public Theatre – starring Annie Golden, Jason Tam, and Krysta Rodriguez). He also directed James Lantz’s The Bus at 59E59 Theatre.
John’s additional new musicals directing includes the World Premieres of Iconis’ Love in Hate Nation (Two River Theater – starring Amina Faye, Lauren Marcus), The Black Suits at Center Theatre Group (Kirk Douglas Theatre – starring Annie Golden, Will Roland, Veronica Dunne) and Family Album, which he co-conceived. International productions include the World Premiere of Legendale (music by Andrea Daly, words by Jeff Bienstock) at Fredericia Teater in Denmark.
Regionally, John has directed Jersey Boys (Weston Playhouse); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Engeman Theatre); Raging Skillet (World Premiere – Theaterworks Hartford – starring Dana Smith-Croll, Marilyn Sokol, George Salazar); Legendale (American Premiere – Human Race Theatre Company – starring Max Crumm); Hairspray (North Carolina Theatre – starring Dale Hensley, Dirk Lumbard); The Black Suits (Barrington Stage – starring Ben Platt, Will Roland, Annie Golden); Damn Yankees (Engeman Theatre – starring André De Shields, Felicia Finley, Austin Miller); A Wonderful Life (Engeman Theatre – starring Will Reynolds); Annie (Sacramento Music Circus- starring Mark Zimmerman, Jim Walton, Adinah Alexander); Cabaret (Sacramento Music Circus- starring Teri Ralston, Jacquelyn Piro, Max von Essen); Evita (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma- starring Kate Chapman, Eric Michael Gillet, Dan Cooney).
John served as Artistic Director at Sharon Playhouse from 2011-2016– where he directed Quartet (starring Tony Winner Elizabeth Franz), Judge Jackie: Disorder in the Court (Kooman/ Dimond – starring Klea Blackhurst), Nine Wives, True Love, Georgie (written by and starring Ed Dixon), Merrily We Roll Along (starring Jason Tam, A.J. Shively), Big River, Falsettos, Les Miserables, They’re Playing Our Song (starring Lauren Marcus, Eric William Morris), Damn Yankees, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Altar Boyz, Rent, A Funny Thing…Forum and The Wedding Singer.
A strong supporter of the development of new work, he has commissioned and directed Love in Hate Nation (Joe Iconis), The Last Day (Mike Reid/ Sarah Schlesinger), The Lucky Boy (Kirsten Childs), Dust and Embers (Sam Salmond), Nostalgia Night (Matthew McCollum, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz), Make it All Better (Gilbert Lewis Bailey II), Me and My Friends Killing Nazis (Alexander Sage Oyen/ Lauren Marcus/ James Presson), In-Gauged (Christian Thompson/ Maria Wirries), The Morris and Essex Line (Joshua Salzman/ Ryan Cunningham), and Trampoline (Deborah Abramson/ David Kirshenbaum) through a New Musicals Initiative he created at Penn State University.
In addition to his directing, John is Head of Musical Theatre at Penn State University. Prior to joining Penn State, he was a member of the faculty at NYU - where he directed Sweet Smell of Success, Floyd Collins, A Man of No Importance, The Fix, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Violet, Urinetown, Merrily We Roll Along, Parade, Fiorello! and A New Brain. His production of Parade was preserved and is on reserve at Lincoln Center’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Miami University and a Master of Arts from NYU.