Bio
David R. Gammons is a director, designer, visual artist, and theatre educator. Over the last decade, he has served
as an Associate Professor at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, a Lecturer in Theatre at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Directing at Virginia Tech. He has created an expansive
range of course curricula in acting, directing, devising, design & visual thinking, Shakespeare, script analysis,
and contemporary performance practice.
David’s professional theatre directing credits include acclaimed productions for SpeakEasy Stage Company, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Underground Railway & The Nora at Central Square Theater, The New Rep, and Gloucester Stage. David’s directing projects have been nominated for forty-six Elliot Norton Awards and forty-six Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards, including multiple Norton award wins for Outstanding Director (2007, 2017, & 2022), Outstanding Production (2012, 2013, & 2022), and Outstanding Designer (2020).
Mr. Gammons strives to be a lifelong learner and is honored to have collaborated with (and learned from!) thousands of students at the high school, college, and graduate level. David has taught courses and created productions at educational institutions all around the Boston area: Harvard University, MIT, The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston College, Suffolk University, Northeastern University, Brandeis University, Emerson College, and Concord Academy, where he proudly served as the Director of the Theatre Program for fifteen years. He is especially proud of the Study Abroad programs he has developed, leading student groups to Stratford-upon-Avon and London, England for immersive, experiential study of Shakespeare.
David is particularly invested in experimental, devised, and movement-based performance work, and has conceived and directed more than twenty-five world-premiere original productions and dance-theatre pieces. He is proud to have collaborated with innovative actors, dancers, choreographers, writers, dramaturges, and designers on bold new works with Pig Iron Theatre Company, Headlong Dance Theatre, No More Masterpieces, LAND Collective, Phantom Theatre, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Spencer/Colton, Lorraine Chapman: The Company, Nichole Canuso Dance Company, and the Theatre and Dance Companies of Concord Academy. He is a frequent collaborator with renowned Boston playwright and performer John Kuntz.
David is fascinated by space, material, and visual composition, and has designed sets, costumes, and unique performance environments for productions at the American Repertory Theatre, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, SpeakEasy Stage, Arlekin Players, Central Square Theater, The Poets’ Theatre, Theatre Offensive, A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Headlong Dance Theatre, Pig Iron Theatre Company, and Concord Academy. Many of his most memorable projects were conceived and realized in collaboration with award-winning Lighting Designer Jeff Adelberg.
David is passionately dedicated to an artistic community that is equitable, inclusive, and richly diverse: one that celebrates a complex cultural legacy and simultaneously explores bold new ways of seeing, making, and doing. This work is perhaps most essential in education and the arts: the very crucible where we test and define our common humanity. David seeks to destabilize traditionally hierarchical structures in both the classroom and rehearsal studio, preferring a cooperative system of collective discovery and collaborative creation. Ultimately, David strives to invent vivid and thrilling worlds for the stage, creating sensory and emotional experiences that are visceral and unexpected for the spectator.
Mr. Gammons is a graduate of the Directing Program of the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University, where he trained with Ron Daniels, Robert Scanlan, Alvin Epstein, and Tommy Derrah, under the leadership of visionary founder Robert Brustein. He is also a graduate of Harvard University, with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies, focused on painting, sculpture, and photography. At Harvard he was awarded the 1992 Peter Sellars Director’s Prize, and is perhaps best remembered for his production of Antonin Artaud’s iconoclastic masterpiece Jet of Blood, in which the audience was suspended on swings amidst the action.
Awards and Honors
- 2022
- Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director: People, Places, & Things, SpeakEasy Stage Company
- Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production: People, Places, & Things, SpeakEasy Stage Company
- 2020
- Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Design: Vanity Fair, Central Square Theatre (Scenic Design)
- 2017
- Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director: Edward II, Actors' Shakespeare Project & Hand to God, SpeakEasy Stage Company
- 2014
- Artistic Visionary Honoree, SpeakEasy Stage Company Annual ROAR
- 2013
- Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production: The Motherfucker with the Hat, SpeakEasy Stage Company
- 2012
- Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production: Red, SpeakEasy Stage Company
- 2007
- Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director: Titus Andronicus, Actors’ Shakespeare Project
- 1999
- Bessie Award for Outstanding Choreography: Teen Tragedy Trilogy as part of St*r W*rs and Other Stories, Headlong Dance Theatre
- 1992
- Peter Sellars Director’s Prize; Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Resume
Download resume [PDF]
Theatre Director
Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts
Blacksburg, Virginia
Cambridge Chamber Ensemble
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Speakeasy Stage Company
Boston, Massacusetts
- 2022
- People, Places, and Things, by Duncan Macmillan.
- 2017
- Hand to God, by Robert Askins.
- 2014
- Necessary Monsters, by John Kuntz.
- The Whale, by Samuel D. Hunter.
- 2012
- The Motherfucker with the Hat, by Stephen Adly Guirgis.
- Red, by John Logan.
- 2009
- Blackbird, by David Harrower.
Central Square Theater
Cambridge, Massachusetts
The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2018
- The Bald Soprano, by Eugene Ionesco. Tour to Orlando Fringe Festival, January 2019.
- 2016
- Skin & Bone, adapted from The Revenger's Tragedy, by Thomas Middleton.
- 2007
- Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare.
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2018
- Macbeth, by William Shakespeare.
Emerson College,
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2018
- The Antigone Project, by Karen Hartman, Tanya Barfield, Caridad Svich, Lynn Nottage, & Chiori Miyagawa.
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2017
- The Owl Answers, by Adrienne Kennedy.
- 2007
- Oh Dad, Poor Dad… by Arthur Kopit. Inaugural production of the New College Theatre.
Guest Artist of The Harvard Office of the Arts.
Actors’ Shakespeare Project
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2017
- Edward II, by Christopher Marlowe.
- 2014
- The Comedy of Errors, by William Shakespeare.
- 2012
- Medea, by Euripides.
- 2011
- The Hotel Nepenthe, by John Kuntz.
- 2009
- The Duchess of Malfi, by John Webster.
- 2007
- Titus Andronicus, by William Shakespeare.
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
- 2016
- Alien vs Predator, original work, inspired by the poetry of Michael Robbins.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2016
- Mind and Hand, a multi-media pageant celebrating the 100th anniversary of M.I.T.'s move to Cambridge.
- 2008
- subUrbia, by Eric Bogosian.
The Gloucester Stage Company
Gloucester, Massachusetts
- 2015
- A Measure of Normalcy, by Lucas Baisch.
Boston College Department of Theatre
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2013
- Three Sisters, by Anton Chekhov
HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
- 2013
- Necessary Monsters, by John Kuntz. Summer Workshop.
- 2012
- The Hotel Nepenthe, by John Kuntz. Emerging America Festival.
The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University
- 2011
- Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe.
The New Repertory Theatre
Watertown, Massachusetts
- 2010
- Cherry Docs, by David Gow.
- 2008
- The Lieutenant of Inishmore, by Martin McDonagh.
- My Name is Rachel Corrie, edited by Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner from the writings of Rachel Corrie.
Brandeis Theatre Company
Waltham, Massachusetts
- 2020
- The Laramie Project, by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Project. Virtual production.
- 2010
- Funnyhouse of a Negro, by Adrienne Kennedy.
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2011
- The Farm, by Walt McGough.
- 2009
- The Salt Girl, by John Kuntz.
Concord Academy
Concord, Massachusetts
Director of the Theatre Program 2000 - Present
- 2015
- smash/slash/trash, original work, inspired by real-life attacks on visual art.
- 2014
- Babble, original work, inspired by the fiction of Jorge Luis Borges.
- 2013
- 4am, original work, inspired by the plays of August Strindberg.
- Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare, an original musical adaptation.
- 2012
- Volta, original work, inspired by the sonnets of Shakespeare.
- 2011
- FLUX, original work, inspired by the Fluxus art movement.
- 2010
- Permanent Fatal Errors, original work, based on found letters and e-mails.
- 2009
- Howl, original work, inspired by the poem by Allen Ginsberg.
- 2008
- (Her) House, original work, inspired by Sophocles’ Electra.
- 2007
- Double Negative, original work, inspired by the film “Un Chien Andalou.”
- 2006
- The America Play, by Suzan-Lori Parks.
- The Seagull, by Anton Chekhov.
- Tyger/Tiger, original work, inspired by the life and work of Tennessee Williams.
- 2005
- UBU ‘77, original musical, based on Ubu Roi, by Alfred Jarry.
- When I look up to the sky I get a scary feeling, original work.
- 2004
- Six Characters in Search of an Author, by Luigi Pirandello.
- LHOOQ, original work, inspired by the life and art of Marcel Duchamp.
- Antigone, by Sophocles.
- 2003
- Sea of Troubles, original work, inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
- 2002
- Heart’s Desire Hotel, by Georges Feydeau.
- Beauty Sleeping, original work, inspired by the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.
- A Man’s A Man, by Bertolt Brecht.
- 2001
- The Skin of Our Teeth, by Thornton Wilder.
- 3SisTerZ, original work, inspired by The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov.
- The Laramie Project, by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project.
- 2000
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare.
Lorraine Chapman, the Company
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2004
- Exquisite Corpses, original work conceived, directed, and choreographed with Lorraine Chapman.
No More Masterpieces
Founder and Artistic Coordinator 1997 - Present
- 2000
- Heaven’s Sake, original work conceived, directed, and choreographed.
- 1999
- A Crying of Bones, original work conceived, directed, and choreographed. Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
- 1997
- Spanking the Maid, conceived, directed, and choreographed, based on the novel by Robert Coover.
University of the Arts
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 2000
- Conference of the Birds, by Peter Brook. Directed with Aaron Posner.
Pig Iron Theatre Company
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1999
- A Winter’s Tale, conceived, directed, and choreographed, based on the play by William Shakespeare.
Headlong Dance Theater
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1998
- Teen Tragedy Trilogy, conceived, directed, and choreographed in collaboration with Headlong Dance Theater.
Phantom Theater Company
Warren, Vermont
- 1997
- Raising Rapunzel, original work conceived, directed, and choreographed with Annie Elias.
Harvard Summer Theatre
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 1996
- Macbeth, by William Shakespeare.
American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2009
- The Winter’s Tale, by William Shakespeare.
- 1995
- The Balcony, by Jean Genet.
- 1994
- Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare.
- Party Time & The New World Order, by Harold Pinter.
- Edward the Second, by Christopher Marlowe.
- 1993
- Oh Dad, Poor Dad…, by Arthur Kopit.
- The Cenci, by Antonin Artaud.
- 1995
-
As Assistant Director
Running in the Family, by Michael Ondaatje. Adapted and directed by JoAnne Akalaitis. - 1994
-
As Assistant Director
Winter Circus, conceived, directed, and choreographed by Amy Spencer and Richard Colton.
American Repertory Theatre
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- As Assistant Director:
- 1995
- Beckett Trio: Eh Joe, Ghost Trio, Nacht und Träume, by Samuel Beckett. Directed by Robert Scanlan.
- Tour to Journées Beckett Theatre Festival, Strasbourg, France, 1996.
- The Threepenny Opera, by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. Directed by Ron Daniels.
- 1994
- An Evening of Beckett: Krapp’s Last Tape, A Piece of Monologue, Ohio Impromptu, by Samuel Beckett. Directed by Robert Scanlan.
- Picasso at the Lapin Agile, by Steve Martin. Directed by David Wheeler.
- 1993
- Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2, by William Shakespeare. Directed by Ron Daniels.
Education
American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University,
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Certificate in Directing (Masters Equivalent), 1995.
Harvard University,
Cambridge, Massachusetts
A.B. magna cum laude in Visual and Environmental Studies, 1992. Peter Sellars Director’s Prize, 1992.
Training
- Directing: Ron Daniels, Robert Scanlan, David Wheeler.
- Acting: Alvin Epstein, Jeremy Geidt, François Rochaix, Jane Nichols, Thomas Derrah.
- Dance and Movement: Richard Colton, Amy Spencer.
- Playwriting: Adrienne Kennedy, Paula Vogel.
- Dramaturgy and Literature: Robert Brustein, Elaine Scarry, Robert Scanlan, Todd London.
- Commedia dell Arte / Mask: Carlos Garcia, Accademia Dell Arte, Italy.
Related Skills & Professional Experience
Teaching:
Virginia Tech University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Northeastern University
Boston College
Suffolk University
Concord Academy, Director of the Theatre Program, 2000-2015
Scenic and Costume Design: Extensive professional experience detailed in separate resumé. →
Production Manager: Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia PA. 1998-2000.
Scenic & Costume Design
Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts
Blacksburg, Virginia
Central Square Theater
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2020
- Vanity Fair, by Kate Hamill, Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic Design.
Arlekin Players
Needham, Massachusetts
- 2019
- The Stone, by Marius von Meyenburg. Directed by Igor Golyak. Scenic Design.
The Poets' Theatre
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2015
- Beckett Women: Ceremonies of Departure, four plays by Samuel Beckett. Directed by Robert Scanlan. Scenic and Costume Design. Tour to MAC Belfast, Ireland, 2017
Actors’ Shakespeare Project
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2014
- The Comedy of Errors, by William Shakespeare. Scenic Design.
- 2011
- The Hotel Nepenthe, by John Kuntz. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic and Costume Design.
- 2009
- The Duchess of Malfi, by John Webster. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic Design.
- 2008
- The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. Directed by Patrick Swanson. Scenic Design.
- 2007
- Titus Andronicus, by William Shakespeare. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic Design.
- 2005
- King Lear, by William Shakespeare. Directed by Patrick Swanson. Scenic and Costume Design.
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
Boston, Massachusetts
- 2009
- The Salt Girl, by John Kuntz. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic and Costume Design.
The New Repertory Theatre
Watertown, Massachusetts
- 2008
- My Name is Rachel Corrie. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic Design.
American Repertory Theatre
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2001
- Richard II, by William Shakespeare. Directed by Robert Woodruff. Scenic design.
- 1995
- Beckett Trio: Eh Joe, Ghost Trio, Nacht und Träume, by Samuel Beckett. Directed by Robert Scanlan. Scenic design. Tour to Journées Beckett Theatre Festival, Strasbourg, France, 1996.
- Winter Circus, conceived, directed, and choreographed by Amy Spencer and Richard Colton. Scenic design.
- 1994
- An Evening of Beckett: Krapp’s Last Tape, A Piece of Monologue, Ohio Impromptu, by Samuel Beckett. Directed by Robert Scanlan. Assistant designer to Lauren Bon. Scenic design.
American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2010
- Drums in the Night, by Bertolt Brecht. Directed by Robert Scanlan. Scenic Design.
- 2009
- The Winter’s Tale, by William Shakespeare. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic Design.
- 2002
- As You Desire Me, by Luigi Pirandello. Directed by Kate Whoriskey. Scenic and costume design.
- 2000
- St. Joan of the Stockyards, by Bertolt Brecht. Directed by Leland Patton. Scenic and costume design.
- 1997
- Best Intentions, from the novel by Ingmar Bergman. Directed by Kate Whoriskey. Scenic and costume design.
- Ahab’s Wife, by Tom Sleigh. Directed and choreographed by Amy Spencer and Richard Colton. Scenic and costume design; with Ellen Driscoll.
- Three Sisters, by Anton Chekov. Directed by Scott Zigler. Costume design.
- 1996
- A Night Out, by Harold Pinter. Directed by Kate Whoriskey. Scenic design.
- Richard III, by William Shakespeare. Directed by Alvin Epstein. Scenic and costume design.
- The Cure at Troy, by Seamus Heaney. Directed by Leland Patton. Scenic and costume design.
- Measure for Measure, by William Shakespeare. Directed by Leland Patton. Costume design.
- 1995
- The Zeus Stories, created and choreographed by A. Spencer and R. Colton. Scenic and costume design.
- ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, by John Ford. Directed by Leland Patton. Scenic and costume design.
- 1994
- Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic and costume design.
- Edward the Second, by Christopher Marlowe. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic and costume design.
- 1993
- Oh Dad, Poor Dad…, by Arthur Kopit. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic and costume design.
University of the Arts
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 2000
- Conference of the Birds, by Peter Brook. Directed by David R. Gammons and Aaron Posner. Scenic design.
Headlong Dance Theater
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1999
- Ulysses, choreographed by Headlong Dance Theatre. Scenic design.
- 1998
- Teen Tragedy Trilogy, conceived and directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic, lighting, and costume design.
- ST*R W*RS, choreographed by Headlong Dance Theater. Scenic design and costume co-design.
Pig Iron Theatre Company
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 2000
- Mission to Mercury, created by Pig Iron Theatre. Directed by Dan Rothenberg. Costume Design.
- 1999
- Cafeteria, created by Pig Iron Theatre. Directed by Dan Rothenberg. Associate scenic design with J. Sugg.
Milagro Theatre Company
New York, New York
- 1997
- The Exterminator, by Robert Alan Margolis. Directed by Liza Williams. Scenic and costume design.
Boston Center for the Arts
Boston, Massachusetts
- 1997
- Dirt, by Abe Rybeck. Directed by Roland Tec. Theatre Offensive. Scenic design.
- 1996
- The Food Chain, by Nicky Silver. Directed by Paul Daigneault. Speakeasy Stage Co. Scenic design.
- Weldon Rising, by Phyllis Nagy. Directed by Steven Maler. Coyote Theatre. Scenic design.
- 1995
- Tongues, Savage/Love, The War in Heaven, by Sam Shepard. Directed by Liza Williams. Yahoodi Productions. Scenic and costume design.
- 1993
- Jerker, by Robert Chesley. Directed by Nicholas Deutsch. The Theatre Offensive. Scenic design.
Harvard Summer Theatre
Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 1996
- Macbeth, by William Shakespeare. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic and costume design.
- The Vampires, by Harry Kondoleon. Directed by José Zayas. Scenic and costume design.
- 1994
- Largo Desolato, by Vaclav Havel. Directed by Brad Rouse. Scenic and costume design.
- 1992
- Cloud Nine, by Caryl Churchill. Directed by Valerie Weinstein. Scenic design.
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
-
1990-
1995 - Raised in Captivity, Fat Men in Skirts, The Baltimore Waltz, Gynespeak V: Pink Fur Titillation, Skin and Bone, East, Jet of Blood, Zora’s Kitchen, The Anniversary, The Maids, Long Day’s Journey into Night, The Duchess of Malfi.
Concord Academy, Concord Massachusetts
-
1995-
Present - smash/slash/trash, Babble, The Cherry Orchard, 4am, Volta, The Bacchae, Flux, Chicago, Permanent Fatal Errors, Macbeth, (Her) House, The America Play, Astray, As You Like It, LHOOQ, Hooch!, Zero at the Bone, Wonderful Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Laramie Project, Bond, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Arabian Nights, Ghost Ladders, The Cradle Will Rock, Born Guilty, Einstein’s Dreams, Duras / Gravity & Light, The Canterbury Trail, Twelfth Night, Marat / Sade, It Is So If You Think So, Descent into Mayhem, Beauty & the Beast, Guys & Dolls.
Education
American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Certificate in Directing (Masters Equivalent), 1995.
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
A.B. magna cum laude in Visual and Environmental Studies, 1992. Peter Sellars Director’s Prize, 1992.
Related Skills & Professional Experience
Teaching:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Northeastern University
Boston College
Suffolk University
Concord Academy, Director of the Theatre Program, 2000-2015
Professional & Educational Directing: Extensive experience detailed in a separate resumé. ←
Production Manager: Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia PA. 1998-2000.