New York Cool Speaks with Director Stephen Burdman Written by Elias Stimac

Artistic director Stephen Burdman and his New York Classical Theatre company have been mesmerizing NYC audiences with Shakespeare and other historical plays since 2000. Over 25,000 people have literally followed the group as they perform their roaming shows all around the lush locales of Central Park. They have staged eleven productions: “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” “King Ubu,” “Twelfth Night,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Triumph of Love,” “The Winter's Tale,” “The Feigned Courtesans,” and this past summer, “As You Like It” and “Scapin.” You can keep track of New York Classical and their future endeavors online at www.newyorkclassical.org.

With over 18 years worth of directing experience, Burdman knows to how put on a show. But he has many other talents as well, including producing, fundraising, grantwriting, casting, dramaturgy and getting permits. We recently spoke with Burdman and gained some valuable insight into the life of a multi-hyphenate talent.

Mark O’Donnell and Stephen Burdman
Photo Laurie Sheppard

NYCool: Can you give us a brief overview of your early theatre influences?

Burdman: Right out of undergrad I had two very important internships.  First, I was a directing intern at Arena Stage in the late 1980s while the theatre was still run by Zelda Fichandler. I really learned just how to put together a show -- the right way!  The staff at Arena was amazing and shared so much with me, from the amazing stage management department to Bill Stewart, the managing director. The interns once had an opportunity to spend about an hour with Zelda, and when I asked her about starting a theatre company she had two bits of advice: spend 50% of your budget on publicity and never "spray paint the actors hair" (i.e. don't ever cast actors in roles that are age-inappropriate for them). I have always lived by her words. 

Next, I walked into Michael Kahn's office at the Shakespeare Theatre (when it was still at the Folger Library), and asked for a job.  He hired me to assist Michael Langham on a production of "The Merchant of Venice." I had no idea who he was until I was busy reading "Directors on Directing" one night and found an entire chapter devoted to him!  With Brian Bedford as Shylock, Kelly McGillis as Portia and (the then-unknown) Marcia Cross as Nerissa, it was quite a learning experience. Michael was alone in DC for the four weeks of rehearsal and, since he lived in New York, we had dinner together nearly every night. I learned just how personal the art of directing was for him and this experience cemented my love for Shakespeare.  I don't think I'll ever again see an Act V of "Merchant" that had such beauty and grace...  Michael infused his love for language into his work--the language and the movement--and it was a rich and moving production.

NYCool: What cities have you lived and worked in, and how has living in New York helped your careers?

Burdman: Since undergrad (at Union College in Schenectady, New York - I have a B.S. in Computer Science!) I lived/worked in Williamstown MA (WTF), Waterford CT (The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center), Washington DC (Arena, Shakespeare Theatre), San Diego CA (San Diego Rep), Los Angeles CA (Mark Taper Forum), Chicago IL (Court Theatre), Irvine CA (Graduate School at UC Irvine and South Coast Rep), back to LA for a bit and then NYC since the fall of 1998. I love New York, since it is the country's center for theatre and people come here to see theatre. On average my audiences here are 5 times larger than they were in Los Angeles. New Yorkers have a love for live theatre and the spoken word. I would never have the career I have now if it wasn't for New York.

NYCool: What different kinds of theatre have you directed?

Burdman: Mostly classical. But I have done my light comedies, modern classics (Beckett), Chekhov, Shakespeare, of course.  I have also directed two plays by Eric Overmyer (who I think is one of the greatest writers in the last 20 years). I once was hired by a Jewish Day School in Los Angeles to direct/create a play about the Five Books of Moses, with 109 10-year olds running no longer than 45 minutes. After doing that, nothing scares me anymore!!!

NYCool: How did New York Classical Theatre come about, and how do you run it with no ticket income?

Burdman: I was working for another company in NYC (that is no longer around) and, basically, the actors asked me to start a company. They liked working for me and the production was solid. I really did not plan to come to NYC to start my own company, but it is the best thing I ever did!

While we do accept donations at the end of every performance, New York Classical Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation -- a charity.  We spend a large portion of our time raising money for the productions. We are so busy, in fact, that we are about to hire a staff member who will take care of this! In addition to individual donors, we have received tremendous support from a variety of foundations, corporations and local and state government.  But, as we continue to grow, and increase stipends for the actors, we need to increase funding. Everyone at New York Classical Theatre -- even the fourteen interns -- receives something for their time.

NYCool: How did you come up with the idea to do an outdoor traveling Shakespeare series?

Burdman: The idea of environmentally staged classical theatre is not new -- but, as a director, I felt that every choice I made (including the cutting/adapting of the play), had to highlight the core themes of the production. So, in 1997 in Los Angeles, I began to adapt the productions to a park environment. My first outdoor Shakespeare was "As You Like It" and when I read the play, it "called out" for audience movement. The characters in the play are constantly moving -- both physically and emotionally -- and the movement allows the audience to participate along with them. New York Classical Theatre is about making classical theatre accessible, and the movement of our productions helps make this possible.

NYCool:  How did "As You Like It” and “Scapin” turn out this past summer? 

Burdman: To date “As You Like It” and “Scapin” have been our biggest hits! Nearly 7,000 people joined us this summer, which was an audience attendance record. And our production of "Scapin" did nearly as well! We had a fabulous cast and two terrific leads! It was wonderful to be able to have clowning in Central Park -- and the audiences ate it up!  And they loved the accordion music too!  

NYCool: You worked with two Tony Award winners, Mark O'Donnell and Bill Irwin, with the translation of "Scapin". Can you describe how that collaboration came about?

Burdman: I co-produced a weekend long seminar about directing comedy for SSDC in 2000(?) and Bill Irwin was one of our presenters -- along with Stephen Wadsworth.  At the event, I asked Stephen for a copy of his "Triumph of Love" which we went on to present in our 2002-2003 season.  After a very successful collaboration with him, I approached Bill earlier this year. Upon his consent, he asked me to also contact Mark O'Donnell for his permission as well. It turned out that Mark was in NYC for the summer and very interested in our production.  He became very involved in our rehearsals and helped us cut and re-work a number of things in the script.  All in all, the script was performed with about 30-40 changes.  Some of these include new jokes that Mark wrote for us.

NYCool: How has having a website – www.newyorkclassical.org
-- helped your company?

Burdman: People love our website.  It has been a great communication tool to stay in contact with our audience, our funders (prospective and current), and the media. I purposely designed the site to be very interactive -- just like our work.  I want prospective audience members to be able to get a taste of our work just by seeing the site.

NYCool:  What is your secret to juggling your time on all your various skills -- directing, producing, fundraising, grantwriting, casting, dramaturgy and getting permits? And do you also have a day job? 

Burdman: The old adage is true: when you need something done, ask a busy person.  And, yes, I am a busy person. The secret?  I love what I do!  And our audience is like a family to me. I feed them, and they feed me. I enjoy watching the children grow up (many families have been with us for 5 or more seasons), and getting to know new people each year. On a practical level, I try to hire only the best staff. They are my support. As for a day job?  Yes, I work three days a week as a freelance business manager.  I run multiple small businesses for various clients in NYC.  And I don't get too much sleep!

NYCool:  Is there a dream contemporary project you want to do?

Burdman: Yes, I would like to direct a production of Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita."  Since the novel was written in the 20th Century, I guess it can be considered contemporary!

NYCool: Why do you think New York is so productive theatrically?

Burdman: It's the pace. The professionalism. It's the heart of the American theatre. Everyone is in New York to work--and they work very hard at their profession.

NYCool: Any advice for aspiring directors and producers?

Burdman: Do your own work. Do not wait for others to hire you. There is such a funding crunch right now (and will probably always be), so follow your passion and do work that speaks to you--not just what pays your rent. Following some advice I received nearly 20 years ago from Michael Langham, find a home -- and grow there -- as an artist, and as a human being.

NYCool: What is currently in the works for New York Classical Theatre?

Burdman: In the winter of 2006, we are hoping to begin a winter season.  With our partners at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, we are planning to present a site-specific classical theatre production in Lower Manhattan.  More information on this production will be available on our website as soon as plans are set.

NYCool: Any advice for aspiring actors who want to perform with New York Classical?

Burdman: Interested performers can submit their photo and resumes to New York Classical Theatre Attn: Casting 741 West End Avenue, Suite 1-E New York, NY 10025.  We do suggest, however, that actors only submit if they have a number of classical credits on your resume.