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Christopher McElroen

 
Christopher McElroen Headshot
Bio:
Christopher McElroen is a New York based Producer and Director. He co-founded the Classical Theatre of Harlem and served as the organizations Executive Director from 1999 – 2009 where he produced forty-one productions yielding 18 AUDELCO Awards, 6 OBIE Awards, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, a Drama Desk ... (read complete bio)
 
Christopher McElroen Headshot

Bio:
Christopher McElroen is a New York based Producer and Director. He co-founded the Classical Theatre of Harlem and served as the organizations Executive Director from 1999 – 2009 where he produced forty-one productions yielding 18 AUDELCO Awards, 6 OBIE Awards, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, a Drama Desk ... (read complete bio)

Stage Credits

Productions

 
[Off-Broadway, 2010]
Producer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2009]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2007]
Executive Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2007]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2006]
Executive Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2006]
Director
Executive Director
Founder
 
[Off-Broadway, 2006]
Executive Director
Founder
 
[Off-Broadway, 2005]
Founder/Executive Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2005]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2003]
Director
Executive Director
Founder

Christopher McElroen Biography

Christopher McElroen is a New York based Producer and Director. He co-founded the Classical Theatre of Harlem and served as the organizations Executive Director from 1999 – 2009 where he produced forty-one productions yielding 18 AUDELCO Awards, 6 OBIE Awards, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, a Drama Desk Award and CTH being named "1 of 8 theatres in America to Watch" by the Drama League. Christopher has directed over thirty professional productions including four world premieres, The Cherry Orchard with Wendell Pierce and Earle Hyman, an original adaptation of Richard Wright's novel Native Son, Marat/Sade with T. Ryder Smith and The Blacks: A Clown Show, which received four 2003 OBIE Awards and was named one of the ten best Off-Broadway productions of 2003 by The New York Times. Alongside visual artist Paul Chan and Creative Time, Christopher co-produced and directed Waiting for Godot in New Orleans, a community development through the arts initiative that staged Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot outdoors in the Lower Ninth Ward and Gentilly communities of post-Katrina New Orleans. The New York Times listed the project as one of the top ten national art events of 2007. The archives from the production have been acquired into the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and will be on exhibit at MOMA through September 2011. He had the honor of directing the world-premiere of 51st (dream) State, the final work of poet, musician and activist Sekou Sundiata. 51st (dream) State was a multimedia exploration of American Empire that premiered in New York at The Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival before touring internationally. In addition, Christopher has directed or guest lectured at Stanford University, Duke University, Purdue University, New York University, Dartmouth College, The Contemporary Arts Center Boston, The Walker Arts Center and The Museum of Modern Art, among others. He is currently working with Oscar nominee Oren Jacoby and The Ralph Ellison Estate on the world premiere stage adaptation of Ellison's prolific novel Invisible Man.

Christopher McElroen Awards and Nominations

 
Helen Hayes Awards - 2013 - Outstanding Director, Resident Play Gold Star
Christopher McElroenInvisible Man

Christopher McElroen News

Review: DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY, Stone Nest Photo Review: DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY, Stone Nest
by Gary Naylor - Mar 22, 2023

Taut and razor-sharp verbatim adaptation of a famous debate from the 60s is entertaining and enlightening

DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY to Have UK Premiere & Embark on 5-Borough New York Tour Photo DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY to Have UK Premiere & Embark on 5-Borough New York Tour
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 27, 2023

the american vicarious will present the UK Premiere along with additional details for its Five-Borough NYC Tour of their production of Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley, a staging of the historic clash between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr.

DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY Comes to Stone Nest Photo DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY Comes to Stone Nest
by Stephi Wild - Jan 27, 2023

Christopher McElroen directs the UK premiere of the critically acclaimed off-Broadway show, Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley - a powerful and thought-provoking verbatim staging of the historic clash between author and activist James Baldwin and conservative, political commentator William F. Buckley Jr.

Harlem Stage Announces Spring 2023 Programming Featuring THE VICKSBURG PROJECT World  Photo Harlem Stage Announces Spring 2023 Programming Featuring THE VICKSBURG PROJECT World Premiere & More
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 13, 2022

Harlem Stage has announced full programming for Spring 2023, continuing its Black Arts Movement: Examined series examining the 1960s/70s cultural movement led by Black artists, activists, and intellectuals.

Gene Gillette Performs in Greece in ARTAUD/VAN GOGH, Now Playing! Photo Gene Gillette Performs in Greece in ARTAUD/VAN GOGH, Now Playing!
by Stephi Wild - Nov 11, 2022

Broadway actor Gene Gillette is in Greece exclusively to perform the theatrical monologue 'Artaud/Van Gogh' under the direction of Ioli Andreadi in the Basement of the Art Theater “Karolos Koun” in Athens.

DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY Starring Teagle F. Bougere & Eric T. Miller to be Presente Photo DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY Starring Teagle F. Bougere & Eric T. Miller to be Presented at Queens Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 31, 2022

Queens Theater will present Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley from the american vicarious. Adapted and directed by Founding Artistic Director Christopher McElroen, this staging of the historic clash between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. will take place on November 11 at 8pm and 12 at 3pm & 8pm.

The American Vicarious' DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY to Tour All Five NYC Boroughs Photo The American Vicarious' DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY to Tour All Five NYC Boroughs
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 15, 2022

the american vicarious will present a Five-Borough NYC Tour (5BT) of their critically acclaimed production of Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley, a staging of the historic clash between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr.

Harlem Stage Presents Gerald Clayton's PIEDMONT BLUES: A SEARCH FOR SALVATION This Mo Photo Harlem Stage Presents Gerald Clayton's PIEDMONT BLUES: A SEARCH FOR SALVATION This Month
by Stephi Wild - Jun 15, 2022

Harlem Stage will present six-time GRAMMY-nominated pianist, composer, and bandleader Gerald Clayton and his multidisciplinary project, Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation.

Sunday Morning Michael Dale:  Giants Can Be Good in Into The Woods & Artist and Subje Photo Sunday Morning Michael Dale: Giants Can Be Good in Into The Woods & Artist and Subject Fight For Control of the Narrative in Shooting Celebrities
by Michael Dale - May 15, 2022

Three plays where what seems like the truth might be a subjective point of view.

The American Vicarious to Present SHOOTING CELEBRITIES Photo The American Vicarious to Present SHOOTING CELEBRITIES
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 25, 2022

the american vicarious will present the world premiere of Shooting Celebrities by John Ransom Phillips, a multidisciplinary artist equally celebrated for his painting and writing. The production stars Julia Watt as Mary Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln, and Gene Gillette as Mathew Brady, America’s first celebrity photographer. 

Christopher McElroen Videos

STAGE TUBE: Behind the Scenes of Huntington's INVISIBLE MAN
by Stage Tube - Jan 9, 2013

Come behind the scenes of Invisible Man at the Huntington Theatre Company, and learn more about the adaptation of Ralph Ellison's powerful American classic in an interview with adaptor Oren Jacoby, director Christopher McElroen, and the 'Invisible Man' himself, Teagle F. Bougere. Click below!


Christopher McElroen Frequently Asked Questions

What awards has Christopher McElroen been nominated for?
Outstanding Director, Resident Play (Helen Hayes Awards) for Invisible Man .

What awards has Christopher McElroen won?
Outstanding Director, Resident Play (Helen Hayes Awards) for Invisible Man.