“I believe in giving the audience an experience that only theatre can deliver. Theatre has its own aesthetic and should not duplicate what literature, film and video are doing.

In his 30 years as a director, Stephen Legawiec (le-gahv-yetz) has curated over 100 professional productions as well as directing over 75.

He was artist-in-residence at Teatr Stary in Krakow, Poland and is a member of the International School of Theatre Anthropology. Legawiec was also a core artistic participant in the International Grotowski Festival in Wroclaw on the 50th anniversary of the Polish Lab Theatre.

He founded Vermont’s White River Theatre Festival and served as Artistic Director. During this time, he created the Invisible Theatre Project, which delved into the use of text as music and emotion, rather than as language.

He launched Ziggurat Theatre Ensemble to explore the relevance of myth and ritual to a contemporary audience, and for which he wrote and directed every play. His Ziggurat productions have been praised by the Los Angeles Times, who called him “one of the theatre’s most adventurous talents.” And the LA Weekly called Legawiec “among the most visionary directors we have.”

Legawiec is the author of 30 plays, including the award-winning Aquitania and the critically acclaimed Red Thread, which won the 2003 Garland Award for Los Angeles Production of the year. In addition to his directing and playwriting, Legawiec has designed over 50 sets and composed over a dozen theatrical scores.

Outside of the U.S., his work has most recently been seen in Trois-Rivieres, Canada, at the Micro-festival of Unfinished Puppetry and at the Season of Unusual Theatre.

In addition to his work with Ziggurat, he is currently the Artistic Director of Camden Shakespeare Festival, a theatre he founded.