Rachel Chavkin

{{Infobox person

| name = Rachel Chavkin

| image = RachelChavkin-byPhilipRomano.jpg

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|7|20}}

| birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.

| education = New York University {{small|(BFA)}}
Columbia University {{small|(MFA)}}

| occupation = Director

| spouse = {{marriage|Jake Heinrichs|2011}}

| relatives = Sara Rosenbaum (mother)

}}

Rachel Chavkin ({{IPAc-en|tʃ|æ|ˈ|v|.|k|ɪ|n}}; born July 20, 1980) is an American stage director best known for directing the musicals Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 and Hadestown, receiving nominations for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for both and winning for Hadestown in 2019.

Early life and education

Chavkin was born in Washington, D.C., where her parents were civil rights lawyers. She was raised in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland.{{cite news |last1=Pressley |first1=Nelson |title='Great Comet' director follows Tony nomination with D.C. premiere |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/great-comet-director-follows-tony-nomination-with-dc-premiere/2017/10/05/09269bc2-a79b-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 6, 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Paulson |first1=Michael |title=Her 'Great Comet' Glowed. Now She's Heading to 'Hadestown' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/theater/rachel-chavkin-hadestown-great-comet.html |work=The New York Times |date=March 27, 2019}} Chavkin attended Stagedoor Manor summer camp.{{Cite web |last=Isenberg |first=Barbara |date=2019-06-04 |title=Rachel Chavkin on ‘Hadestown,’ female directors and her dream of a TV miniseries |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-rachel-chavkin-hadestown-20190601-story.html |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

She is a non-practicing Jew.{{Cite web |date=April 29, 2019 |title=Everything You Need to Know About 'Hadestown' Director Rachel Chavkin |url=https://www.heyalma.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hadestown-director-rachel-chavkin/ |access-date=June 24, 2021 |website=Alma |language=en-US}}

She has a BFA from New York University and an MFA from Columbia University.{{cite web|url=http://hbstudio.org/people-who-make-theatre-rachel-chavkin-of-the-team/|title=People Who Make Theatre: Rachel Chavkin of THE TEAM|work=HB Studio|date=May 12, 2014|access-date=May 17, 2016}}

Career

Chavkin currently holds the position of Artistic Director at The TEAM, and has worked to direct and produce many pieces for The TEAM, including award-winning and internationally touring plays, such as Roosevelvis, Mission Drift, and Architecting.

She directed Three Pianos which ran off-off-Broadway at the Ontological-Hysteric Theater in March 2010Horwitz, Andy. [http://www.culturebot.org/2010/03/5595/three-pianos-at-ontological/ Three Pianos] culturebot.org, March 7, 2010 and then at the New York Theatre Workshop in December 2010 to January 2011.Grode, Eric. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/theater/05pianos.html?version=meter+at+2&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click "Taking Schubert for a Wild Joy Ride"] The New York Times, December 1, 2010 She won the 2010 Obie Award, Obie Special Citation for Three Pianos.[http://www.lortel.org/Archives/Production/5175 Three Pianos] lortel.org, accessed May 18, 2016Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/article/circle-mirror-transformation-aliens-metcalf-and-more-win-obie-awards-com-168502# " 'Circle Mirror Transformation', 'Aliens', Metcalf and More Win OBIE Awards"] Playbill, May 17, 2010

Chavkin has worked in collaboration with actor and fellow playwright Taylor Mac across multiple projects, including The Lily’s Revenge, Act 2 (HERE); and with Chris Thorpe, including Confirmation and Status

Chavkin directed Dave Malloy's Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, which ran off-Broadway in 2013–2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/theater/female-directors-more-prominent-in-new-york.html|title=Staging a Sisterhood|date=February 3, 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 17, 2016}} Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 received the 2013 Obie Award, Special Citation.[http://www.lortel.org/Archives/Production/5632 Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812] lortel.org, accessed May 18, 2016 Under her direction, the musical opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on November 14, 2016. At the 71st Tony Awards, the musical received twelve nominations, the highest number for the 2016–17 season, including a nomination for Chavkin for Best Director of a Musical.

She directed The Royale by Marco Ramirez, off-Broadway at Lincoln Center, which opened in March 2016.[http://www.lortel.org/Archives/Production/6066 The Royale] lortel.org, accessed May 18, 2016[http://www.lct.org/shows/royale/ The Royale] lct.org, accessed May 18, 2016 She was nominated for the 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for directing The Royale.{{cite web|author=Viagas, Robert|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/she-loves-me-leads-drama-desk-nominations#|title='She Loves Me' Leads Drama Desk Nominations|work=Playbill|date=April 28, 2016}} She received the 2016 Obie Award, Direction, for The Royale.Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/article/winners-announced-for-61st-annual-obie-awards# "Winners Announced for 61st Annual Obie Awards"] Playbill, May 23, 2016

Chavkin directed the folk opera Hadestown, written by Anaïs Mitchell, which opened officially at the off-Broadway New York Theatre Workshop on May 23, 2016.Clement, Olivia. [http://www.playbill.com/article/hadestown-opens-tonight# " Hadestown Opens Tonight at New York Theatre Workshop"] Playbill, May 23, 2016 Following productions in Edmonton and London, Hadestown opened on Broadway in April 2019 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. She went on to win the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. She directed Anything That Gives Off Light at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2016, in a co-production with The TEAM and The National Theatre of Scotland.[http://theteamplays.org/category/team-blog/edinburgh/ "Edinburgh"] theteamplays.org, accessed May 18, 2016

In 2017, Chavkin was presented with the Smithsonian Award for Ingenuity along with Dave Malloy.

In 2018, she directed Lempicka, which premiered on July 20 at the Williamstown Theater Festival.{{cite web|author=Vine,Hannah|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/first-look-at-carmen-cusack-and-eden-espinosa-in-lempicka-at-williamstown-theatre-festival|work=Playbill|title=First Look at Carmen Cusack and Eden Espinosa in Lempicka at Williamstown Theatre Festival|date=July 25, 2018|access-date=July 25, 2018}} It transferred to Broadway and opened at the Longacre Theater on April 14, 2024,{{cite web | last=Paulson | first=Michael | title='Lempicka,' New Musical About Art Deco Artist, to Open on Broadway | website=The New York Times | date=October 30, 2023 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/30/theater/lempicka-broadway-rachel-chavkin.html | access-date=July 8, 2024}} closing on May 19, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Rosky |first=Nicole |date=May 19, 2024 |title=LEMPICKA Plays Final Broadway Performance |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/LEMPICKA-Plays-Final-Broadway-Performance-20240519 |access-date=July 8, 2024 |website=BroadwayWorld}}

Chavkin directed the world premiere of Dave Malloy's Moby-Dick, which opened at Harvard's American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 11, 2019.{{cite web | title=Dave Malloy takes on Melville's classic novel | website=Harvard Gazette | date=November 27, 2019 | url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/11/dave-malloy-takes-on-melvilles-classic-novel/ | access-date=July 8, 2024}}

The Thanksgiving Play made its Broadway debut at the Hayes Theater in 2023, directed by Chavkin.{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=2022-06-02 |title='The Thanksgiving Play' Sends Up America. Now It's Coming to Broadway. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/theater/the-thanksgiving-play-broadway.html |access-date=2024-03-15 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} It was the first play by a female Native American playwright (Larissa FastHorse) produced on Broadway.{{Cite web|url=https://nativenewsonline.net/arts-entertainment/larissa-fasthorse-becomes-first-native-american-woman-playwright-on-broadway|title=Larissa Fasthorse Becomes First Native American Woman Playwright on Broadway|first=Stacy|last=Thacker|website=Native News Online|date=May 3, 2023 }}

On February 22, 2023, it was announced that Chavkin would be directing the Broadway-aimed Gatsby musical adaptation,{{Cite web |last1=Masseron |first1=Meg |last2=Gans |first2=Andrew |date=February 22, 2023 |title=Rachel Chavkin and Sonya Tayeh Join Gatsby Creative Team; Musical Sets 2024 Premiere |url=https://playbill.com/article/rachel-chavkin-and-sonya-tayeh-join-gatsby-creative-team |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Playbill}} which premiered on June 5, 2024 at the American Repertory Theater.{{cite web | last=Gale | first=Natalie | title=Q&A: 'Myrtle' actress Solea Pfeiffer on why A.R.T.'s new 'Gatsby' musical is so great | website=Boston.com | date=June 14, 2024 | url=https://www.boston.com/culture/arts/2024/06/14/qa-myrtle-actress-solea-pfeiffer-on-why-a-r-t-s-new-gatsby-musical-is-so-great/ | access-date=July 8, 2024}}

Chavkin will direct the upcoming world premiere of The Lunchbox, a musical based on the movie of the same name, at Berkley Repertory Theatre in May 2026. The Lunchbox features a book and lyrics by the film's director/writer Ritesh Batra, with music and additional lyrics by The Lazours.{{Cite web |last=Rabinowitz |first=Chloe |title=THE LUNCHBOX World Premiere and More Set for Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2025/26 Season |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-francisco/article/THE-LUNCHBOX-World-Premiere-and-More-Set-for-Berkeley-Repertory-Theatre-202526-Season-20250423 |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |language=en}}

Directing style

In an article in American Theatre, it was noted that she has a "diverse slate of work" united with "a distinctively multisensory sensibility.... When she staged Meg Miroshnik's The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls at Yale Repertory Theatre, she included a live female punk band; her work with the TEAM routinely blends text, video, and pervasive sound design. 'She can squeeze a lot into a small space, and yet it feels epic and sprawling,' said Ars Nova artistic director Jason Eagan."Diep Tran. [http://www.americantheatre.org/2015/09/18/rachel-chavkins-great-comet-of-a-career/ "Rachel Chavkin's Great Comet of a Career"] American Theatre, September 18, 2015 Her collaborator Bess Wohl said, "I so often see women directors’ work being compared to the theatrical equivalent of needlepoint—small and delicate....[Chavkin] favors the brash and huge and messy."{{cite magazine | last=Syme | first=Rachel | title=Behind the Scenes of a Short-Lived Broadway Musical | magazine=The New Yorker | date=May 27, 2024 | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/03/behind-the-scenes-of-a-short-lived-broadway-musical | access-date=July 8, 2024 }}

Personal life

Chavkin married Jake Heinrichs in 2011.

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Award

!Category

!Work

!Result

rowspan="2" |2013

|Obie Award

|Special Citations

| rowspan="3" |Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

|{{won}}

Drama Desk Award

|Outstanding Director of a Musical

|{{nominated}}

2014

|Lucille Lortel Award

|Outstanding Director

|{{nominated}}

rowspan="2" |2016

|Obie Award

|Best Director

|The Royale: A Play in Six Rounds

|{{won}}

Elliot Norton Award

|Outstanding Director, Large Theatre

| rowspan="4" |Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

|{{won}}

rowspan="3" |2017

|Drama Desk Award

|Outstanding Director of a Musical

|{{won}}

Tony Award

|Best Direction of a Musical

|{{nominated}}

American Ingenuity Award

|History

|{{won}}

rowspan="3" |2019

|Tony Award{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/2019-tony-award-nominations-hadestown-and-aint-too-proud-lead-the-pack|title=2019 Tony Award Nominations: Hadestown and Ain't Too Proud Lead the Pack|last=McPhee|first=Ryan|date=April 30, 2019|website=Playbill|language=en|access-date=April 30, 2019}}

|Best Direction of a Musical

| rowspan="3" |Hadestown

|{{won}}

Drama Desk Award

|Outstanding Director of a Musical

|{{won}}

Outer Critics Circle Awards{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/195573/hadestown-tootsie-oklahoma-lead-2019-outer-critics-circle-award-nominations/|title=Hadestown, Tootsie & Oklahoma! Lead 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations|last=Lefkowitz|first=Andy|date=April 23, 2019|website=Broadway.com|language=en|access-date=April 23, 2019}}

|Outstanding Director of a Musical

|{{won}}

rowspan="2" |2020

|Elliot Norton Award

|Outstanding Director, Large Theatre

|Moby-Dick (2019)

|{{won}}