Member Profiles

Frank Galati

Biography

Frank Galati, November 1943 - January 2023

Frank Galati joined the Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble in 1985. He won two Tony Awards in 1990 for his adaptation and direction of Steppenwolf's production of The Grapes of Wrath on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1998 for directing the musical Ragtime. Although Galati is known primarily as a director of epic plays and musicals (Steppenwolf's Homebody/Kabul, Broadway's Ragtime), he was an equally adept actor (Steppenwolf's The Drawer Boy, The Tempest) and adaptor (Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for The Accidental Tourist). Galati directed his adaptations of Murakami’s after the quake (2005-2006) and Kafka on the Shore (2008) at Steppenwolf, along with his adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s The March (2012). His productions at the Goodman Theatre, where he was an associate director from 1986-2008, include The Visit, She Always Said Pablo, The Winter’s Tale, The Good Person of Setzuan and Cry the Beloved Country. He was also an artistic associate at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. Most recently, he directed Asolo Rep’s 2022 world premiere musical Knoxville, which he adapted from James Agee's novel A Death in the Family. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. Galati was also a professor emeritus in the Department of Performance Studies at Northwestern University. 

News Items

Read tributes from the Steppenwolf Ensemble

Listen to Frank discuss his journey on Steppenwolf’s Half Hour podcast

Frank is remembered by the Chicago Tribune HERE

Frank Galati is remembered by The New York Times  HERE

Frank is remembered by the Chicago Sun-Times HERE

 

Watch & Listen

Past Productions

Member Profiles

Frank Galati

Frank Galati

Past Productions