Interview: Chatting with Director Sam Hayes About the World Premiere of PROFESSOR HOUSE at Contraband Theatre

Local theater artist Sam Hayes is finding their niche. The Louisiana native studied theater at The University of Southern Mississippi, earning two Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees, one in acting/performance and the other in costume design/technology. Following graduation, Hayes moved to St. Louis to begin their theater career at STAGES St. Louis. Since arriving they have worked non-stop acting, directing, and desiging costumes for shows.

Hayes is enamored with the number of opportunities to work in professional theater in St. Louis. Over the past year, Hayes has directed a gender-bending production of the musical [title of show] with Prism Theater Company, directed and designed the costumes for Colin Healy’s original piece Madam at Fly North Theatricals, and designed costumes for St. Louis Shakespeare’s Festival Touring production of The Tempest. On October 8th, the Sam Hayes directed Professor House, produced by Contraband Theatre, will open at The Chapel.  

“I was really proud of [title of show],” they giggled, “that is one I will remember for a long time as far as what that final product ended up being.”

[title of show] was an audience favorite and a critical success. Broadway World St. Louis included [title of show] on their top 10 list for 2024 and called it “simple joyful fun,” and called Hayes’ direction “lively.”

“I had a hard time picking one of the disciplines.” They continued, “I love being a part of the rehearsal room, creating character, and creating the visual design of a production.” They said they started directing because that’s where the roles of acting and design combine. “I get to shape the story through collaboration with the entire team. I’m grateful that producers trust me enough to hire me as a director.”

Hayes was hand-picked by playwright and Contraband Theatre producer Jacob Juntunen to direct the world premiere of his play Professor House. Hayes says, “Jacob’s new play is a story with themes of processing grief, guilt, and how it affects their relationships with people around them. While the play sounds dark, there many beautiful moments of lightness and levity.” Hayes calls the story cathartic.

The immersive production will have a very small audience of about 20 people. Hayes says, “Having an intimate setting is what’s going to make the show work. It’s experiential storytelling and I have a passion for telling stories that are intimate and small.” Hayes told Broadway World that this production will feel a lot different than what in currently happening in St. Louis theater. “It is a play that people won’t want to miss.”

Directing Madam, and now Professor House, Hayes has been afforded the luxury of collaborating directly with the playwright. “It is really cool to be able to pick the playwright’s brain. Sometimes they’ll tell you exactly what they’re thinking. Other times they want to see how their writing comes across and how the director, cast, and crew interpret what they’ve written.” Hayes enjoys getting to be a small part in shaping the script as it evolves. They said it helps with clarity for the actors and ultimately the audience.

Hayes gushed, “It is an honor when a playwright chooses me to direct their new work. Being trusted with that responsibility is both wonderful and scary.”

“I had the opportunity to direct the staged reading of Professor House earlier this year. There were plenty of opportunities to give Jacob feedback.” They continued, “He’s given me a lot of space to work with the designers to create the piece.” Hayes calls writer Jacob Juntunen a fantastic collaborator who is extremely open to interpretation of his works. 

Contraband Theatre’s production of Professor House, written by Jacob Juntunen and directed by the multi-talented Sam Hayes, runs October 8 - 25, 2025. Performances are Wednesday – Saturdays at The Chapel with showtimes at 7:30 pm. To make the production accessible to all, tickets are priced on a “pay what you wish” basis and can be purchased by visiting contrabandtheatre.org.