Eric Schaeffer is the Co-founder and Artistic Director of Arlington’s Signature Theatre. Under his leadership, the Theatre was honored with the 2009 Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre in America, as well as 97 Helen Hayes Awards with an additional 411 nominations for theater excellence in Washington, DC.
At Signature, Schaeffer directed productions including: Titanic; Silver Belles; Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose; Girlstar; The Fix; Elmer Gantry; Cloak and Dagger; Beaches; Miss Saigon; Crossing; Hello, Dolly! (Ford’s Theatre co-production); The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; Brother Russia; Hairspray; Sunset Boulevard; Chess; Show Boat; First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb; The Hollow; Les Misérables; ACE; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Glory Days; The Witches of Eastwick; Saving Aimee; Into the Woods; My Fair Lady; Nevermore; The Highest Yellow; One Red Flower; Allegro; Twentieth Century; 110 in the Shade; Hedwig and the Angry Inch; The Gospel According to Fishman; Grand Hotel; The Rhythm Club; Over & Over; The Fix; Working; The Rink; Cabaret; First Lady Suite; Wings; Poor Superman; Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love; and the Sondheim musicals Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George (Arena Stage co-production), Passion, Into the Woods, Company, Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Follies and Pacific Overtures, among others.
On Broadway, Schaeffer directed Gigi, the critically acclaimed Follies as well as the Tony Award®-winning Million Dollar Quartet, Glory Days and Putting It Together. His national tours include Million Dollar Quartet and Big. Off-Broadway, he has directed Sweet Adeline (City Center Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert) and Under the Bridge. His West End credits include Million Dollar Quartet and The Witches of Eastwick.
Eric’s regional credits include Drury Lane: Beaches; Ford’s Theatre: Meet John Doe; Goodman: Million Dollar Quartet; Apollo Theatre: Million Dollar Quartet; Mark Taper Forum: Putting It Together (w/ Carol Burnett); Chicago: Elmer Gantry; Los Angeles: Disney’s Snow White. For the Kennedy Center, Schaeffer served as the Artistic Director of the acclaimed Sondheim Celebration in 2002 as well as directing its productions of Sunday in the Park with George and Passion. At the Kennedy Center, he also directed Follies starring Bernadette Peters, Mame starring Christine Baranski, First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb and Gigi starring Vanessa Hudgens. Overseas, Eric directed Sweeney Todd in Seoul, South Korea with the OD Company.
In 2006, Schaeffer created Signature’s musical theater commissioning program, the American Musical Voices Project (AMVP), in partnership with the New York-based Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund, to commission and produce new musicals for the American theater canon. Since that time, AMVP has grown to become the largest musical theater commissioning program in the country, providing writers and composers a creative, fertile ground to develop original musicals. Since the program was launched, Signature has commissioned 18 new musicals from composers such as Michael John LaChiusa, Ricky Ian Gordon, Joseph Thalken, Adam Guettel, Jeanine Tesori, Josh Schmidt and Joshua Rosenblum, among others.
Schaeffer earned his BFA from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, where he received an Honorary Doctorate in 2012. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Shenandoah University in 2014.
[1993]My Life's in Turnaround Splick
[1996]If Lucy Fell Joe MacGonaughgill
[1997]Fall Michael
[1998]Gunshy Gwynne
[1999]Wirey Spindell Wirey Spindell
[2001]One Night at McCool's Greg Spradling
[2001]Never Again producer
[2004]Marmalade Dan
[2004]Spanglish Rabid Sports Fan
[2004]Mind the Gap Sam Blue
[2009]Adventureland Foreigner Tribute Band Member
[2011]After Fall, Winter Michael
[2011]They're Out of the Business Splick
[2012]Eric Schaeffer: Life Coach writer
[2014]Boy Meets Girl director
[2021]Before I Go producer
New York Daze Eric McDougal
Eric SchaefferBeaches
Eric SchaefferHello, Dolly!
Eric Schaeffer, Follies
Eric SchaefferHairspray
Eric SchaefferChess
Eric SchaefferLes Misérables
Eric SchaefferAce: The New Musical Adventure
Eric SchaefferKiss of the Spider Woman
Eric SchaefferMeet John Doe
Eric Schaeffer The Witches of Eastwick
Eric SchaefferPacific Overtures
Eric SchaefferAllegro
Eric Schaeffer11 in the Shade
Eric SchaefferFollies
Eric SchaefferSunday in the Park with George
Eric Schaefferhe Gospel According to Fishman
Eric SchaefferPutting It Together
Eric SchaefferThe Rhythm Club
Eric SchaefferSweeney Todd
Eric SchaefferThe Fix
Eric SchaefferSunday in the Park with George
Eric SchaefferPassion
Eric SchaefferThe Rink
Eric SchaefferCabaret
Eric SchaefferInto the Woods
Eric SchaefferWings
Eric SchaefferUnidentified Human Remains and the 1 Nature of Love
Eric SchaefferAssasins
Eric SchaefferSweeny Todd
Outstanding Director of a Musical, HAYES Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for Beaches , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Hello, Dolly! , Outstanding Director of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Follies , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Hairspray , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Chess , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Les Misérables , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Ace: The New Musical Adventure , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Kiss of the Spider Woman , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Meet John Doe , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for The Witches of Eastwick , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Pacific Overtures , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Allegro , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for 110 in the Shade , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Follies , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Sunday in the Park with George , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for he Gospel According to Fishman , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Putting It Together , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for The Rhythm Club , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Sweeney Todd , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for The Fix , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Sunday in the Park with George , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Passion , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for The Rink , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Cabaret , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Into the Woods , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Wings , Outstanding Director, Resident Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for Unidentified Human Remains and the 1 Nature of Love Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Assasins and Outstanding Director, Resident Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for Sweeny Todd .
Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Les Misérables , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Meet John Doe , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Allegro , Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Passion Outstanding Director, Resident Musical (Helen Hayes Awards) for Assasinsand Outstanding Director, Resident Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for Sweeny Todd.
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