Maxwell Friedman – Director
Maxwell is a director, producer, and arts administrator committed to creating Anti-Racist communal spaces that promote radical interconnectivity.
Maxwell is currently the Manager of Designer Relations at the Public Theater, where he manages the curation and contracting of designers for productions and artistic programs. Central to his work is ensuring that all processes and protocols are Anti-Racist and equitable. Before joining the Public, Maxwell had worked at Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City Center, Great River Shakespeare Festival, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, among others.
Maxwell is also a freelance director whose work has been seen at The New Ohio, The Tank, Columbia University, and Stevens Institute, among others.
Aside from the theatre, Maxwell loves visual art, politics, music festivals, and traveling. He is the youngest of three siblings and treasures his family (and his dog, Godot) to the upmost degree. His upbringing in one of the most diverse counties in the USA, Fort Bend County, ignited his passion for Anti-Racism at a young age.
Selected Directing Credits
Off-Top Presents* // by Adi Eshman // Fridays on Ice – New Ohio Theatre
The Drowsy Chaperone // by Martin, McKellar // DeBaun Performing Arts Center
Bigger? Sugar? Figure? // by Adi Eshman // Off-Top – The Tank
Hair // by Rado, Ragni, MacDermot // Westchester Sandbox Theatre
Alien at the Airport* // by Sharece Sellem // Dirty Blondes – Kraine Theatre
Rooftop Trilogy* // by Marlene Fanta Shyer // Gallery Players
NBA Store Boyfriend* // by Catherine Weingarten // Super Short Sit Specific Festival
Rhinoceros // by Eugene Ionesco // Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University
Things (un)Said* // by Jen Sinnen // Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University
Honeysuckle Epidemic* // by Jake Kevrick // Envisage Theatre Festival
The Trojan Women // by Ellen Mc Laughlin // Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University
Generation Z* // conceived by Maxwell Friedman // Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University
Selected Assistant Directing Credits
Julius Caesar // dir. Joanna Battles // Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
Disgraced // dir. Seth Gordon // Repertory Theatre St. Louis
Angel Street // dir. Jenn Thompson // Repertory Theatre St. Louis
King John // dir. Rick Barbour // Great River Shakespeare Festival
The Glass Menagerie // dir. Paul Mason Barnes // Great River Shakespeare Festival
Stage Door // dir. Alec Wild // Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University
Big Love // dir. Jef Awada // Havana Theatre Festival
Education
BA Directing
Conservatory of Theatre Arts
at Webster University
Magna Cum Laude // Departmental Honors // Semester Abroad - Vienna, Austria
Training and Affiliations
ArtEquity// Anti-Racist Theatre: A Foundational 6 Hour Course
ArtEquity// Finding the Keys: Antiracist Approaches to Radical Recruitment in the Arts
Manhattan Theatre Club // (NYC) // Directing Fellow
Stage Directors and Choreographers Society // (NYC) // SDC Observer
Frantic Assembly, The Drama League // (NYC) // Devising Intensive
Teatro Buendia // (CUBA) // Adaptation Intensive
Internships
Manhattan Theatre Club // (NYC) // Artistic Intern // Steve Kaus, Nicki Hunter
Encores! Off-Center // (NYC) // Artistic Intern // Michael Friedman
Director's Lab Chicago // (CHI) // Lab Intern and Participant // Billy Bullion
Shakespeare in the Park // (STL) // General Production Intern // Julie Ann Arbiter
Great River Shakespeare Festival // (MN) // Directing Intern // Paul Mason Barnes
Related Experience
Public Theatre // (NYC) 2018-present // Assistant to the Production Executive // Ruth Sternberg
Public Theatre Mobile Unit // (NYC) YEAR // Tour Assistant // Henry V
BRIEFS LGBT Play Festival // (NYC) YEAR // Playwright // The Grind
Repertory Theatre St. Louis // (STL) YEAR // Dramaturg // Disgraced