Artist Bio

Michael Maggio

Michael Maggio (1951-2000) was the associate artistic director at Goodman Theatre from 1986-2000. For the Goodman, Mr. Maggio directed Rebecca Gilman’s Boy Gets Girl and Beckett’s modern classic Waiting for Godot. Mr. Maggio also directed The Beaux Stratagem and Frank Galati’s adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath at The Theatre School at Depaul University. He is known for his collaborations with Keith Reddin, includ­ing the world premiere production of All the Rage for the Goodman mainstage; the world premiere of Brutality of Fact in the Goodman Studio; The Theatre School at DePaul Univer­sity’s production of The Perpetual Patient; the Center Theater production of Life During Wartime; the Remains Theatre production of Highest Standard of Living and, in 1993, the world premiere of Black Snow for the Goodman, which received five Joseph Jefferson Awards, including one for Best Director. Mr. Maggio also received Joseph Jefferson Awards for his direction of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and the world premiere of the musical Wings in the Goodman Studio. He won an Obie Award for his direction of Wings at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York. Additional directing credits at the Goodman in­clude Arcadia, As You Like It, Romeo and Juli­et (set in an American “Little Italy”), the world premiere musical Another Midsummer Night, David Mamet’s adaptation of Uncle Vanya, A Flea in Her Ear, A Christmas Carol, Sunday in the Park with George, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Front Page and The Dining Room. As artistic di­rector of Northlight Theatre for four seasons, Mr. Maggio staged the world premieres of Deal­ing, the musical City on the Make and Heart of a Dog, adapted by Frank Galati. Other North­light directing credits include The Real Thing, West Memphis Mojo and the world premiere musical revue Sondheim Suite. Additional Chica­go directing credits include Time of My Life at Steppenwolf Theatre, David Mamet’s Oleanna, Endgame and Travesties. Outside of Chicago Mr. Maggio directed Titus Andronicus for the New York Shakespeare Festival, Elmer Gantry at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. and Tom Stoppard’s Rough Crossing at the McCarter The­atre in Princeton, as well as productions at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Actors The­atre of Louisville, the Cleveland Playhouse, the Arizona Theatre Company and the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

(April 2000)