David Cromer

{{Infobox person

| name = David Cromer

| image = David Cromer, May 2018.jpg

| caption = Cromer in 2018

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|10|17}}

| birth_place = United States

| other_names =

| occupation = Theatrical director

| spouse =

| awards = Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, Tony Award, MacArthur Fellow

| years_active =

}}

David Cromer (born October 17, 1964) is an American theatre director, and stage, film, and TV actor. He has received recognition for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in his native Chicago. Cromer has won or been nominated for numerous awards, including winning the Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for his direction of Our Town.{{cite web |last=Hetrick |first=Adam |title=David Cromer's Heralded Our Town Ends Off-Broadway Run Sept. 12 |url=https://playbill.com/article/david-cromers-heralded-our-town-ends-off-broadway-run-sept-12-com-171678 |website=Playbill |access-date=September 30, 2024 |date=September 12, 2010}} He was nominated for the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for his direction of The Adding Machine.[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=478813 "Cromer listing"] InternetBroadway Database, accessed April 24, 2011{{cite news |last1=Gans |first1=Andrew |last2=Jones |first2=Kenneth |url=https://playbill.com/article/betrayed-and-adding-machine-win-lucille-lortel-awards-com-149848 |work=Playbill |date=May 5, 2008 |title=Betrayed and Adding Machine Win Lucille Lortel Awards |access-date=September 30, 2024 |df=mdy-all }} In 2018, Cromer won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Band's Visit.

Biography and Education

Born the third of four sons to Richard and Louise Cromer, he was raised in Skokie, Illinois. Cromer dropped out of high school in his junior year, later acquired a GED, and attended Columbia College Chicago.Witchel, Alex. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/magazine/14cromer-t.html "David Cromer Isn’t Giving Up"], The New York Times, February 11, 2011.

Career

Cromer has been nominated for or won the Joseph Jefferson Award for his work in Chicago productions, winning for Angels in America Parts I and II in 1998, The Price in 2002, and The Cider House Rules in 2003.[http://www.jeffawards.org/search2/results.cfm "Jeff Awards Cromer Listing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829232018/http://www.jeffawards.org/search2/results.cfm |date=August 29, 2011 }} jeffawards.org, accessed April 25, 2011{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |title=Chicago Jeff Awards Go to Richard Kind, Marc Robin, Cider House Rules, Singin' in the Rain |url=https://playbill.com/article/chicago-jeff-awards-go-to-richard-kind-marc-robin-cider-house-rules-singin-in-the-rain-com-116147 |website=Playbill |access-date=September 30, 2024 |date=November 4, 2003}} In 2005, Cromer made his Off-Broadway debut directing Austin Pendleton's Orson's Shadow at the Barrow Street Theatre. The production originated at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.Isherwood, Charles. [http://theater.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/theater/reviews/14orso.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=a3e8d6c667a3a5c5&ex=1172898000 "Two Titans of Drama Assemble for a Battle of Wills and Wits"] The New York Times, March 14, 2005 His 2008 production of a musical adaptation of The Adding Machine also moved to Off-Broadway from Chicago{{cite news |title=An Audience-Friendly Theatrical Town, Chicago Is |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/28/theater/28ishe.html |work=The New York Times |date=February 28, 2007 |access-date=2008-04-06 |first=Charles |last=Isherwood |authorlink=Charles Isherwood}} and received wide critical acclaim,{{cite news |title=Adding Machine |last=Feldman |first=Adam |url=http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/theater/26944/adding-machine |work=Time Out: New York |date=February 27, 2008 |access-date=2008-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330181237/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/theater/26944/adding-machine |archive-date=March 30, 2008 |url-status=dead }} receiving six Lucille Lortel Award nominations in the 2008 season, more than any other show. Cromer received a nomination for the 2008 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Director of a Musical, for The Adding Machine. It is now being produced in regional theaters around the country.Isherwood, Charles. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/theater/09ishe.html "Prolific Director, Off Off Off Off Broadway"] The New York Times, November 11, 2008

In 2009, Cromer performed the role of the Stage Manager in an Off-Broadway revival of Our Town, which he also directed, at The Barrow Street Theatre.{{cite web |last1=Gans |first1=Andrew |last2=Jones |first2=Kenneth |title=Cromer to Return to Off-Broadway's Our Town June 19 |url=https://playbill.com/article/cromer-to-return-to-off-broadways-our-town-june-19-com-161944 |website=Playbill |access-date=September 30, 2024 |date=June 16, 2009}} The production, which began in Chicago in 2008, has been acclaimed for its non-traditional elements.Isherwood, Charles. [http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/theater/reviews/27town.html/ "21st-Century Grover’s Corners, With the Audience as Neighbors"]The New York Times, February 27, 2009 Cromer won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director and the Obie Award, Directing for Our Town.[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=5315 "'Our Town' Listing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002233650/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=5315 |date=October 2, 2012 }} Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed April 24, 2011 In the wake of his Our Town success, The New York Times profiled Cromer, referring to "his suddenly thriving career [which] has etched him as a visionary wunderkind, a genius in a black cape with secrets up his billowing sleeves."

In October 2009, Cromer directed a short-lived Broadway revival of Brighton Beach Memoirs starring Noah Robbins, Santino Fontana, Laurie Metcalf, and Dennis Boutsikaris. (The planned production of Broadway Bound was cancelled.){{cite web |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |title=Broadway's Neil Simon Plays Will Close Nov. 1 |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/134259-Broadways-Neil-Simon-Plays-Will-Close-Nov-1 |website=Playbill |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606034619/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/134259-Broadways-Neil-Simon-Plays-Will-Close-Nov-1 |archive-date=June 6, 2012 |date=October 31, 2009}}

He directed the Broadway revival of The House of Blue Leaves, which starred Ben Stiller and Edie Falco and played a limited run from April 2011 to August 2011.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Ben Stiller and Edie Falco Inhabit a House of Blue Leaves, Opening on Broadway April 25 |url=https://playbill.com/article/ben-stiller-and-edie-falco-inhabit-a-house-of-blue-leaves-opening-on-broadway-april-25-com-178486 |website=Playbill |access-date=September 30, 2024 |date=April 25, 2011}}

In 2010, he was announced to direct the Broadway production of the musical Yank! by Joseph and David Zellnik.{{cite web |last1=Gans |first1=Andrew |last2=Hetrick |first2=Adam |title=David Cromer to Direct Broadway's Yank! A WWII Love Story |url=https://playbill.com/article/david-cromer-to-direct-broadways-yank-a-wwii-love-story-com-168305 |website=Playbill |access-date=September 30, 2024 |date=May 10, 2010}} In 2010, he said of Yank!, "I'm hungrier to work on this than anything in recent memory."[http://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/questionsandanswers/davidcromer.htm Cromer] newyorktheatreguide.com However, the production has been postponed, according to The New York Times article of September 2010.Healy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/yank-wont-reach-broadway-this-season/ "'Yank!' Won't Reach Broadway This Season"] New York Times, September 4, 2010

In June to July 2011, he directed A Streetcar Named Desire, with Jessica Hecht as Blanche, at the Williamstown Theater Festival.Healy, Patrick.[http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/david-cromer/ "Cromer and Hecht to Reunite for 'Streetcar' at Williamstown"] The New York Times, March 7, 2011.

He was announced to direct a Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth starring Nicole Kidman and James Franco and set for Fall 2011, but in August 2011 the production was delayed and Franco dropped out. Cromer says it is "still on the drawing board."{{cite news| url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/sweet-bird-wont-fly-on-broadway-this-fall-franco-no-longer-involved-in-revival/ | work=The New York Times | first=Patrick | last=Healy | title='Sweet Bird' Won't Fly on Broadway This Fall; Franco No Longer Involved in Revival | date=August 30, 2011}}

He directed Tribes by Nina Raine at the Off-Broadway Barrow Street Theatre, which ran from February 2012 to September 2012.{{cite web |last=Hetrick |first=Adam |title=David Cromer-Directed Off-Broadway Hit Tribes Extends to September |url=https://playbill.com/article/david-cromer-directed-off-broadway-hit-tribes-extends-to-september-com-188675 |website=Playbill |access-date=September 30, 2024 |date=March 21, 2011}}Brantley, Ben. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/theater/reviews/tribes-by-nina-raines-at-the-barrow-street-theater.html# "World of Silence and Not Listening"] nytimes.com, March 4, 2012

In October to December 2013, he returned to Chicago to star as Ned Weeks in TimeLine Theatre Company's production of The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer.{{cite web |last=Peterson |first=Tyler |title=David Cromer to Lead TimeLine's NORMAL HEART; Casts Announced for Fall Season |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/David-Cromer-to-Lead-TimeLines-NORMAL-HEART-Casts-Announced-for-Fall-Season-20130718 |website=BroadwayWorld |date=July 18, 2013}}

In 2016 he directed The Effect{{Cite news |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/21/david-cromers-the-effect |title=David Cromer directs "The Effect" |last=Als |first=Hilton |work=New Yorker}} and The Band’s Visit,{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-bands-visit-review-nothing-lost-in-translation-1481247001 |title='The Band's Visit' Review: Nothing Lost in Translation |last=Teachout |first=Terry |work=Wall Street Journal}} the latter of which winning him the 2017 Obie Award for Directing.Obie Awards for his work, [http://www.obieawards.com/events/year-2017/ 2017 Winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507234913/http://www.obieawards.com/events/year-2017/ |date=May 7, 2019 }} In 2017, The Band's Visit transferred to Broadway, where it won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical.

In 2017 he directed The Treasurer at Playwrights' Horizons.Brantley, Ben. [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/theater/the-treasurer-review-max-posner.html# "In ‘The Treasurer,’ a Son Remembers Mama, as She Forgets Everything"] nytimes.com, September 26, 2017

In 2019, he directed The Sound Inside at Studio 54{{cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/how-broadways-the-sound-inside-got-made-and-why-audiences-should-see-it|title=How Broadway's The Sound Inside Got Made and Why Audiences Should See It|work=Playbill|first=Dan|last=Meyer|date=October 18, 2019|access-date=October 31, 2020}} for which Cromer received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play, one of the six Tony nominations the production received.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/theater/tony-nominees.html|title=Full List of the 2020 Tony Award Nominees|work=The New York Times|first=Peter|last=Libbey|date=October 15, 2020|access-date=October 31, 2020}}

He also has worked as a character actor. In 2012, he appeared in a small role in the pilot of the television show The Newsroom.Jones, Chris. "Cromer shows up in Sorkin pilot", Chicago Tribune, April 03, 2012, accessed April 30, 2016 at [https://web.archive.org/web/20120413093833/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-03/entertainment/chi-david-cromer-in-a-trailer-for-hbos-newsroom-20120403_1_pilot-david-cromer-new-hbo-drama] In 2015, he played a character in the show Billions.{{cite web|magazine=Playbill|url=https://playbill.com/article/the-bands-visit-director-david-cromer-joins-cast-of-the-waverly-gallery-on-broadway|title=The Band's Visit Director David Cromer Joins Cast of The Waverly Gallery on Broadway|author=Clement, Olivia|date=August 9, 2018}}

In 2022, he directed Camp Siegfried at the Tony Kiser Theatre and A Case for the Existence of God Off-Broadway.{{Cite web |last=Rabinowitz |first=Chloe |title=Sawyer Barth & Lily McInerny to Star in Bess Wohl's CAMP SIEGFRIED at Second Stage Theater |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Sawyer-Barth-Lily-McInerny-to-Star-in-Bess-Wohls-CAMP-SIEGFRIED-at-Second-Stage-Theater-20220824 |access-date=2022-08-25 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Green |first=Jesse |date=2022-05-03 |title=Review: Making a Beautiful 'Case for the Existence of God' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/theater/review-a-case-for-the-existence-of-god-samuel-hunter.html |access-date=2023-09-15 |issn=0362-4331}}

In 2023, he appeared in the title role in Uncle Vanya Off-Broadway.{{Cite news |last=Collins-Hughes |first=Laura |date=2023-07-07 |title='Uncle Vanya' Review: Confidences by Candlelight |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/06/theater/uncle-vanya-review.html |access-date=2023-09-15 |issn=0362-4331}}

Cromer directed the Broadway production of the play Prayer for the French Republic by Joshua Harmon in 2024.{{cite web|magazine=Playbill|url=https://playbill.com/article/watch-take-a-look-at-broadways-prayer-for-the-french-republic-opening-january-9|title=Watch: Take a Look at Broadway's Prayer for the French Republic, Opening January 9|author=Culwell-Block, Logan|date=January 9, 2024}}

In 2024, it was announced that Cromer was set to direct the stage adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck co-written and starring George Clooney.{{cite web|magazine=Playbill|url=https://playbill.com/article/george-clooney-will-star-in-broadway-adaptation-of-good-night-and-good-luck|title=George Clooney Will Star in Broadway Adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck|author=Culwell-Block, Logan|date=May 13, 2024}}

Cromer will also direct the musical Dead Outlaw on Broadway in 2025.{{cite web|title=Dead Outlaw Is Coming to Broadway|magazine=Playbill|author=Culwell-Block, Logan|date=December 19, 2024|url=https://playbill.com/article/dead-outlaw-is-coming-to-broadway}}

Personal life

He was named a 2010 MacArthur Fellows Program, the foundation cited his efforts in reviving classic theater such as his work on The Adding Machine and Our Town in their announcement.[http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.6239749/k.1427/Meet_the_2010_Fellows.htm "MacArthur Fellows Program: Meet the 2010 Fellows"] macfound.org, accessed April 24, 2011

He taught directing at Columbia College Chicago, the same school he attended years prior.

Cromer is gay.