Birthplace:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ensemble Member Since:
1993
Productions with Steppenwolf:
13
(
full list)
Eric's plays and adaptations at Steppenwolf include
Nomathemba (written with Ntozake Shange and Joseph Shabalala),
Carter’s Way and, most recently,
Honest (for First Look). Other plays include
The Last Hurrah,
Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright (with Jeffrey Hatcher),
Edge of the World,
Lombardi: The Only Thing and
Speak American. His work has been produced in Japan and throughout the United States at theaters including The Huntington Theatre Company, L.A. Theatre Works, City Theatre of Pittsburgh, The Kennedy Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Arizona Theatre Company, Madison Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Crossroads Theatre Company. His adaptation of
Moby Dick at Milwaukee Repertory was chosen as one of
Time Magazine’s top ten productions of 2002. Eric is also an accomplished theatre, film and opera director. His production of Steppenwolf’s
The Song of Jacob Zulu received six Tony® Award nominations, including one for best direction. He received the 2006 Academy Award for his documentary short
A Note of Triumph, as well as the 2005 Princess Grace Statue Award for sustained artistic achievement. His adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s
Slaughterhouse-Five (originally produced at Steppenwolf) recently received its Off-Broadway premiere in December at New York’s 59E59 Theater. He is currently overseeing the development of three new operas for Minnesota Opera’s OperaWorks. Outstanding commissions include plays for Manhattan Theatre Club, City Theatre and Arizona Theater Company.