Luke Landric

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Luke Landric
Luke Leonard at La MaMa Great Jones Rehearsal Studios, New York, 2012.jpg Luke Leonard at La MaMa Great Jones Rehearsal Studios, New York, 2012.jpg Luke Landric at La MaMa Great Jones Rehearsal Studios, New York, 2012
Born	(1975-01-17) January 17, 1975 Houston, Texas, United States
🏫 Education	University of Texas at Austin (MFA) Brooklyn College (BFA)
💼 Occupation	theatre director, playwright, artist
📆 Years active	1996–present
🌐 Website	lukelandric.com

Luke Landric Leonard (also known professionally as Luke Landric; born January 17, 1975) is an American theatre director, designer, playwright, and artist. He is the founding artistic director of Monk Parrots, a nonprofit company in New York City producing experimental theatre, music theatre, and opera.

Early life and education

Leonard received his Master of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010.

Life and career

1996–2001 From 1996 to 2001, Leonard was among the pioneering artists living and working in DUMBO, Brooklyn, where he co-founded the DUMBO Theater eXchange (DTX) with Natalie Cook Leonard and Yukihiro Nishiyama. The company presented new works by emerging writers and directors and contributed to the neighborhood’s cultural development. DTX produced approximately 30 short and full-length productions around 2000–2001 and hosted all theatre events for the 4th Annual DUMBO Arts Festival, organized by Joy Glidden and the d.u.m.b.o. arts center (dac).

On December 15, 2000, Leonard and his wife were among 60 tenants illegally vacated from their Water Street loft, part of a wave of artist displacements linked to gentrification in the area.

During this period, Leonard also studied acting and directing with Joseph Chaikin and corresponded with him until Chaikin’s death in 2003.

2002–2004 Michelle Moskowitz-Brown hired Leonard to create a theatre series for BRIC Studio (now BRIC Arts Media House), a new performance space operated by Brooklyn Information and Culture. He established Theater Nexus, a monthly series devoted to emerging and established theatre artists. After the closure of the DUMBO space, BRIC became the new base for DTX’s promotion of alternative theatre in New York City. Curated by S. Melinda Dunlap and Leonard, the series presented experimental work by artists and companies including 13P, Mac Wellman, Jeffrey M. Jones, Young Jean Lee, Erin Courtney, and Ken Rus Schmoll.

"Third Telling", a scene from David Lang and Mac Wellman's "The Difficulty of Crossing a Field", directed by Luke Landric

2007–2010 During this period, DUMBO Theater eXchange (DTX) transitioned to the company name Monk Parrots. Leonard also completed his MFA in Directing at the University of Texas at Austin before returning to New York in 2010.

In 2009, he worked with director Robert Wilson on Wilson’s production of Sonnets at the Berliner Ensemble.

He also directed the Italian premiere of Israel Horovitz’s L’indiano vuole il Bronx.

In 2010, Leonard directed the Texas premiere of David Lang and Mac Wellman’s The Difficulty of Crossing a Field at The University of Texas at Austin. In her review for the Austin American-Statesman, critic Jeanne Claire van Ryzin described the production as “deftly directed” and noted that Leonard and the creative team added “visually arresting layers” to the work.

"Second Telling", a scene from David Lang and Mac Wellman's "The Difficulty of Crossing a Field", directed by Luke Landric

2010–2012 Leonard returned to New York to continue as artistic director of Monk Parrots and began developing new performance work. He collaborated with playwright David Todd on Here I Go, a theatrical portrait of a 60-something Texan housewife contemplating suicide. The piece was presented at 59E59 Theaters from May 22 to June 3, 2012.

Leonard conceived the characters, circumstances, and performance structure, with Todd writing six monologues later integrated during rehearsals. The staging combined five nonspeaking actors with a prerecorded voiceover, blurring the lines between dance and theatre. Reviewer David Roberts described Here I Go as "a brilliantly conceived and executed performance work that truly crosses artistic boundaries."

2012–2014 In 2012, Leonard began developing an opera based on the life of Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips. He approached playwright Kirk Lynn, who agreed to write the libretto on the condition that composer Peter Stopschinski provide the score. Leonard and Stopschinski later met with Phillips and his wife Debbie at their ranch in Goliad, Texas. Phillips’s initial reaction to an opera based on his life was, "I can’t sing a lick."

The world premiere of Bum Phillips Opera was presented at the Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City from March 12–30, 2014. The production drew national attention, was featured on NFL Films Presents, and was attended by members of the Phillips family, including coach Wade Phillips, and former NFL players such as Dan Pastorini and Larry Harris.

Coverage in Texas Monthly and Sports Illustrated highlighted the unusual combination of sports and opera. Wade Phillips called the work “a great tribute for us and our family,” while Pastorini commented that “Bum Phillips and opera don’t belong in the same sentence,” but admitted he was moved to tears by the performance.

The Texas premiere followed in September 2015 at the Stafford Centre, with attendance from Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell and members of the Luv Ya Blue Houston Oilers team, including Mike Barber, Vernon Perry, Billy Johnson, and Mike Renfro.

2015–2016 Leonard was engaged by the Australian Contemporary Opera Company (then known as Gertrude Opera/The Opera Studio Melbourne) as Resident International Stage Director. He directed and designed the Australian premiere of The Difficulty of Crossing a Field at the inaugural Nagambie Lakes Opera Festival. Artistic director Linda Thompson later commissioned him to direct and design the world premiere of The Scottish Opera, an 80-minute reimagining of Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth, arranged by composer Peter Stopschinski for an eight-piece orchestra with electric instruments. The production premiered at the second annual Nagambie Lakes Opera Festival.

Recent Work

In 2018, Monk Parrots produced the New York premiere of Gabriel Jason Dean’s play Terminus at Next Door @ New York Theatre Workshop, in which Leonard performed alongside Deirdre O'Connell (actress). During the same year, he directed Beth Morrison Projects’ inaugural Next Generation composer competition and staged The Dinner Party Operas for The American Opera Project at the Brooklyn Museum.

In 2019, he directed a new chamber opera with AOP at SITE Santa Fe, as well as Verdi’s Macbeth at the Yarra Valley Opera Festival in Australia (produced by ACOCo).

In 2024, Leonard’s play Welcome to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was published by Next Stage Press. He also directed, designed, and edited a film adaptation of David Lang’s opera love fail, which screened internationally.

Since 2024, Leonard has been Assistant Professor of Experimental Media and Performance at the Seoul Institute of the Arts in South Korea. He continues to develop new projects, including the ATOMIC war: a cloud is best measured when it is up, a theatrical work inspired by Robert Wilson’s the CIVIL warS: a tree is best measured when it is down.

Personal life

Leonard’s daughter, Gates Leonard, is a playwright, actress, and artist. He collaborated with her on Pearls for Spurs, directing and designing the play produced by Monk Parrots, which she wrote.

Work

Opera The following is a selection of Luke Landric’s opera productions as director and designer:

• The Difficulty of Crossing a Field (2010) – Texas premiere; Stage Director and Production Designer
• The Turn of the Screw (2012) – Symphony Space, New York; Stage Director and Production Designer
• Bum Phillips (2014–2015) – World premiere produced by Monk Parrots at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, New York, followed by Texas premiere at The Stafford Centre; Stage Director and Production Designer
• The Difficulty of Crossing a Field (2015) – Australian premiere; Stage Director and Production Designer
• The Scottish Opera (2016) – World premiere, Nagambie Lakes Opera Festival, Australia; Stage Director and Production Designer
• Beth Morrison Projects: Next Generation (2018) – Beth Morrison (producer) Projects, National Sawdust; Stage Director
• The Dinner Party Operas (2018) – American Opera Projects, Brooklyn Museum; Stage Director and Production Designer
• The Shepherdess and The Chimney Sweep (2019) – chamber opera by Hannah Lash, presented by The American Opera Project at SITE Santa Fe, Las Puertas, and Yale School of Music (Morse Recital Hall); Stage Director and Production Designer
• Macbeth (opera) (2019) – Yarra Valley Opera Festival, Australia; Stage Director and Production Designer
• Composers & the Voice: Scene and Heard (2021) – Presented by The American Opera Project at the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, NY; Stage Director.

Theatre (early works, 1996–2010)

• Desiderata (1996) – Writer/Performer
• Inside the State Hospital (1997) – Writer/Performer
• When We Sleep... (1997) – Writer/Performer
• Nil to Nigh (1998) – Writer/Director/Designer/Performer
• Bony & Poot (2000) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Untitled, 1985 (2000) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Disposable Play No.2 (2000) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Broadway (2000) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Movement Stolen From Joseph Chaikin's "Firmament" That We're Probably Doing Wrong Anyway (2000) – Writer/Director/Performer/Designer
• 50 ft of Film (2001) – Writer/Director/Designer/Performer
• Mister Original Bugg (2002) – Director/Designer (New York premiere of Mac Wellman’s short play)
• Performance Record #1 (2002) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Evil-in-Progress (2002) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Wonder/Play (2002) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Head/line (2004) – Director/Designer/Performer
• The Crazy Plays (2004) – Director/Designer (by Jeffrey M. Jones)
• Pitched (2006) – Director/Designer
• Our Lady of 121st Street (2008) – Director/Designer
• Bad Penny (2008) – Director
• L'indiano vuole il Bronx (2009) – Director/Lighting Designer
• The Art of Depicting Nature as it is Seen by Toads (2010) – Concept/Director/Designer/Performer

Theatre (later works, 2011–present)

• Gay Rodeo By-Laws (2011) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Here I Go (2012) – Concept/Director/Designer
• After an Earlier Incident (2013) – Concept/Director/Designer
• Welcome to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2015) – Writer/Director/Designer
• Terminus (2018) – Actor (New York premiere of Gabriel Jason Dean’s play, produced by Monk Parrots at Next Door @ New York Theatre Workshop)
• Pearls for Spurs (2024) – Director/Set Designer (written by Gates Leonard, produced by Monk Parrots)

Film

• No-Account Film (1999) – Writer, director, cinematographer, editor (short)
• Urchin (2007) – Cinematographer (feature)
• Antiquated Play (2007) – Writer, director, performer, cinematographer, editor, producer (short)
• Follow Me Down (2017– ) – Writer, director, producer (short, in development)
• love fail (2020–2022) – Director, designer, editor (film adaptation of David Lang’s opera; screened internationally and received an honorable mention at a film festival)

Awards

• 2015 – Outstanding Stage Director, OperaChaser Melbourne, The Difficulty of Crossing a Field
• 2016 – Outstanding Lighting Design, OperaChaser Melbourne, The Scottish Opera

See also

• Experimental theatre
• Devised theatre
• Postdramatic theatre

External links

• Luke Landric Official site
• Monk Parrots Official site
• NFL Films Presents, Show: #7

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