Award-winning Director

DIRECTOR

Mr. Sachs is a highly-respected stage director in Los Angeles. He has won every major theatre award in Los Angeles and is the only director in L.A. to have won the Ovation Award (L.A.’s version of the Tony) for Best Director of a Play twice. He was nominated for the 2009 and 2012 SDC Zelda Fichandler Award honoring outstanding stage directors in the Western United States.

Sachs directed the 2012 United States Premiere of Athol Fugard's new play, The Blue Iris.


He just completed a 3-city tour in China (Shanghai, Beijing, Guanzhou) directing the play, Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers starring Josh Stamberg and Amy Peitz. He also recently directed Jason Ritter in Completeness by Itamar Moses for L.A. Theatre Works. 

Sachs directed the world premiere of his new play Bakersfield Mist (2011) and the United States Premiere of Athol Fugard's new play, THE TRAIN DRIVER (2010) in Los Angeles, both to critical acclaim. Also in 2010, Mr. Sachs directed Golden Globe Award-winning actress Christine Lahti, Tony Award-winning actor Frank Wood, Garret Dillahunt, and Stephanie Zimbalist in the L.A. Theatre Works production of Warren Leight's SIDE MAN.

In 2009, Mr. Sachs directed the Los Angeles premiere of Irish playwright Conor McPherson’s Tony-nominated play, SHINING CITY, to rave reviews. "One of the best productions the west coast theater has ever seen." - BroadwayWorld. His production was named "Best of 2009" by the Los Angeles Times, and "Best of 2009" by the LA Weekly, winning the LA Weekly Theater Award for Best Production of the Year (Revival) in 2009.

In 2009, Sachs also directed his adaptation MISS JULIE:FREEDOM SUMMER at Canadian Stage Company in Toronto and at the Vancouver Playhouse.

Also in 2009, playwright Athol Fugard chose Sachs to direct the West Coast premiere of his new play, COMING HOME (“Critic’s Choice” Los Angeles Times). The production was named "Top Ten of 2009" by LA StageWatch and was nominated for an Ovation Award for Best Production of the Year. Sachs was honored with the LA Weekly Theater Award as Best Director for Coming Home.

Mr. Sachs has the honor of being chosen by playwright Athol Fugard as one of the few directors in the United States to premiere his new plays. The collaboration between Fugard and Sachs goes back nearly a decade when Sachs directed the Los Angeles premiere of Fugard’s THE ROAD TO MECCA in 2000.

In 2004, Mr. Sachs had the privilege of being the first person, apart from the playwright, selected to direct the world premiere of a new play by Athol Fugard. Sachs directed the world premiere of Fugard’s EXITS AND ENTRANCES in Los Angeles (3 LA Ovation Awards including Best World Premiere of a New Play and Best Director, 5 LA Drama Critics Circle Awards including Best Production and Best Director). He directed acclaimed regional productions of the play around the country. And he directed the Off-Broadway production at Primary Stages in New York (New York Outer Critics’ Circle Award nomination for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play, selected as "Ten Best" Productions of 2006/2007 by New York Theatre Writers). He also directed the UK premiere at the 2007 International Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.

In 2008, Fugard gave Sachs the exclusive United States rights to his play, VICTORY. Sachs directed the United States premiere in Los Angeles to great critical acclaim. The production was named “Critic’s Choice” and “Best of 2008” in the Los Angeles Times.

Fugard has now given Sachs his newest play, THE TRAIN DRIVER. Sachs will direct the United States premiere in 2010.

In February 2007 Sachs directed the world premiere of his own new adaptation of Strindberg’s MISS JULIE at the Fountain in Los Angeles. The production earned rave reviews, was named “Critics’ Choice” in the Los Angeles Times and ran for 4 sold-out months.

He also directed the 2007 world premiere of his own stage adaptation of Stephen Mitchell’s version of GILGAMESH at Theatre@Boston Court in Pasadena.

In 2006, the J. Paul Getty Museum selected Sachs to direct the inaugural production to launch the opening of their new 450-seat outdoor classical theatre at the Getty Villa in Malibu. For The Getty, Sachs directed the critically acclaimed sold-out world premiere of a new translation of Euripides’ HIPPOLYTOS starring Linda Purl.

Arthur Miller personally gave Sachs exclusive permission to direct his rarely seen AFTER THE FALL in Los Angeles (3 L.A. Ovation Awards including Best Production and Best Director). Named “Critics’ Choice” (LA Times) and ran for 7 sold-out months.

Mr. Sachs has twice won the L.A. Ovation Award for Best Director of a Play. He has won many theater awards for directing such plays as the Los Angeles premiere of Fugard’s THE ROAD TO MECCA, AFTER THE FALL, the West Coast premiere of STRING OF PEARLS, SWEET NOTHING IN MY EAR (Fountain Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis), the LA premiere of Steven Dietz’s LONELY PLANET (starring Philip Anglim), THE SEAGULL (starring Salome Jens, Philip Baker Hall and Bud Cort), the celebrated 20th Anniversary production of THE BOYS IN THE BAND, the west coast premiere of Romulus Linney’s UNCHANGING LOVE, and many others.

Regional theatre directing credits include: Primary Stages (New York), Zephyr Theatre (San Francisco), Santa Barbara Theatre, the Tony-winning Victory Gardens Theatre (Chicago), Mixed Blood Theatre (Minneapolis), New Jersey Repertory, Florida Stage, Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh, Scotland), Canadian Stage Company (Toronto) and the Vancouver Playhouse (Vancouver).

Director