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Lee Sankowich

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Lee David Sankowich is an American theatre director, producer, and educator. He is best known for his productions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest[1] and for his leadership roles at Marin Theatre Company[2] and the Zephyr Theatre[3] in Los Angeles.

Early life and education

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Sankowich was born in San Francisco in 1942,[4] the son of Samuel S. Sankowich and Sarah B. Sankowich (née Blumenfeld). He is an alumnus of Lowell High School[5] in San Francisco (1959), attended University of Southern California, and then graduated from San Francisco State. Sankowich's family took in one of the children from Kindertransport,[5] from the short-lived early period in Nazi Germany when Jewish parents could send their children out of country. He grew up with that child.[6] He has two daughters, Sarah Sankowich and the late Marti Sankowich.[7]

Career

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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Sankowich's career gained significant momentum with his direction of Dale Wasserman's adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,[8] based on Ken Kesey's novel. Sankowich's production included Danny DeVito as Martini[9] and William Devane as McMurphy. The Film version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was released in 1975 with DeVito reprising his stage role.

  • San Francisco (1970–1975): The production opened at the Little Fox Theatre,[10] enjoying a five-year run.
  • Off-Broadway (1971–1973): Following its success in San Francisco, the play was staged Off-Broadway[11] at the Mercer-Hansberry Theatre, running for two and a half years.
  • Boston (1972–1973): played for a year and a half at the Charles Playhouse.[12]
  • Israel Touring Company (1972): including Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv[6]
  • Marin Theatre Company (1995): As Artistic Director, Sankowich revisited the play, directing a production that opened on September 27, 1995.

Marin Theatre Company (1990–2006)

Sankowich served as Artistic Director of Marin Theatre Company, in Mill Valley, California, for 16 years. During his tenure, he directed 45 plays, including two estate-sanctioned world premieres of previously unproduced Tennessee Williams works: Spring Storm[13] and Fugitive Kind.[14]

Zephyr Theatre (1978–Present)

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In 1978, Sankowich purchased the Zephyr Theatre[15] in Los Angeles. After leaving Marin Theatre Company in 2006, he returned to the Zephyr as Producing Artistic Director.[citation needed]

Academic career

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From 1986 to 1990, Sankowich was an Associate Professor of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University.[16]

Regional theatre work

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Sankowich has directed productions at various regional theatres[5] across the United States, including:

  • Baltimore Center Stage
  • The Mark Taper Forum
  • South Coast Repertory
  • Florida Stage
  • GEVA Theatre Center
  • Jewish Repertory Theatre
  • City Theatre (Pittsburgh)
  • Center Repertory Company, where he served as Artistic Director for over a year[17]
  • San Jose Stage Company
  • TheatreWorks
  • Pittsburgh Public Theater, where he served as Resident Director[18] (Edith Stein, The Normal Heart, Hedda Gabler, Vikings, The Real Thing, Becoming Memories)

Collaborations with Arthur Giron

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Sankowich collaborated with playwright Arthur Giron[19] on several projects:

  • Dirty Jokes (1979): Directed the world premiere with Michael Moriarty[20] at the Drake Theatre at Barat College Summer with the Stars
  • Edith Stein (1988): Directed the world premiere at Pittsburgh Public Theater,[21] exploring the life of the Jewish intellectual-turned-Catholic nun who perished in Auschwitz. (Lee also did four other productions of Edith Stein, including Off-Broadway at Playhouse 91.[22]
  • Becoming Memories (1990): Directed this play at Pittsburgh Public Theater,[21] further solidifying their collaborative relationship. (and two other productions.[23])

As playwright

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Sankowich wrote his first play, For Honor,[5] about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which will have staged readings in early summer 2025.

Notable productions

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In addition to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Edith Stein, Sankowich's notable directorial works include:

  • Death of a Salesman (1972): Directed the first professional all-black production,[24] working with Arthur Miller on the production, at the Baltimore Center Stage
  • Dylan (1973): Mercer Arts Center with Karen Gourney and Rue McClanahan
  • Serenading Louie (1986): Pittsburgh Public Theater[25]
  • Sunday in the Park with George (1987): Pittsburgh Public Theatre with Marcus Lovett[26] and daughter, Sarah Sankowich[27]
  • 23 Years Later (1992): Mark Taper Forum
  • The Last Schwartz (2006): Marin Theatre[28] with Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry, and a seven-month run at the Zephyr (2006–2007)
  • Killer Joe[29] (2006): Marin Theatre Company, starring Stacy Ross and Cully Fredicksen, after a sold-out run, it moved to the Magic Theatre
  • Low Hanging Fruit (2014): Directed the world premiere at the Zephyr Theatre[30]

Awards and recognition

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Sankowich has received multiple accolades[31] for his contributions to theatre, including four San Francisco Bay Area Drama Critics Circle Awards for Direction, and several Best Production of the Year honors.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Barnes, Clive (March 24, 1971). "Marin Theatre's artistic director leaves after 16 years". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  2. ^ Hurwitt, Robert (January 12, 2006). "Theater: 'Cuckoo's Nest' 63 Play About Insanity Revived Downtown". Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  3. ^ "History of the Zephyr Theatre". Zephyr Theatre. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  4. ^ "Lee Sankowich Family History & Historical Records". MyHeritage. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  5. ^ a b c d Hurwitt, Sam (2019-05-08). "Former MTC artistic director returns to Marin as a playwright". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  6. ^ a b Correspondent, J. (1995-09-22). "Director of the Cuckoos Nest bringing the drama back home". J. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  7. ^ "Marti Sankowich Obituary - San Francisco, CA". Marin Independent Journal. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  8. ^ "Twice over the cuckoo's nest - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. ProQuest 220579931. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  9. ^ Stein, Ruthe (September 17, 1995). "One Flew Back And Forth Over "Cuckoo's Nest'". Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  10. ^ "Synapse - The UCSF student newspaper 13 April 1970 — UCSF Synapse Archive". synapse.library.ucsf.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  11. ^ "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Original Off-Broadway Cast 1971 | Off-Broadway World". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  12. ^ "The Heights, Volume LIV, Number 12 — 19 November 1973 — Boston College Newspapers". newspapers.bc.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  13. ^ Steven Winn (1999-11-14). "A New Spring for Tennessee Williams / Marin Theatre Company's production of rediscovered play draws national attention". SFGATE. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  14. ^ Ybarra, Michael J. (2003-01-28). "Digging into a master's past". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  15. ^ "History of the Zephyr Theatre".
  16. ^ "Lee Sankowich has been Inducted into the Marquis Who's Who Registry". August 5, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  17. ^ Hurwitt, Robert (January 12, 2006). "Marin Theatre's Artistic Director Leaves Aftter 16 Yeaars". SFGate. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  18. ^ Corrigan, Patricia (2019-05-01). "New play, premiering in S.F., tells the story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising". J. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  19. ^ Hall, Margaret (February 17, 2022). "Playwright Arthur Giron Dies at 85". Playbill. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  20. ^ "Edith Stein". mdon.library.pfw.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  21. ^ a b "Production History". ppt.org. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  22. ^ Richards, David (1994-01-19). "Theater in Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  23. ^ Jones, Chad (2005-04-02). "Center Rep revels in 'Memories'". East Bay Times. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  24. ^ "Color-Conscious Casting and Death of a Salesman". The New York Public Library. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  25. ^ "Serenading Louie". historicpittsburgh.org. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  26. ^ The Give Moment - 2006 Marcus Lovett, retrieved 2025-05-19
  27. ^ "Sarah Sankowich | Lifestyle - women | Resume | Stars Agency". www.starsagency.com. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  28. ^ Harvey, Dennis (2004-02-29). "The Last Schwartz". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  29. ^ Schiffman, Jean (March 25, 2013). "Review: Killer Joe". Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  30. ^ Grigware, Don. "BWW interviews: Director LEE SANKOWICH Discusses LOW HANGING FRUIT". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  31. ^ "Lee Sankowich has been Inducted into the Marquis Who's Who Registry". 24-7 Press Release Newswire. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
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