Darko Tresnjak (Serbian Cyrillic: Дарко Трешњак, romanizedDarko Trešnjak) is a director of plays, musicals, and opera, and winner of several awards, including the Tony Award. He was the artistic director of the Hartford Stage in Connecticut, United States.

Darko Tresnjak
Born
Occupation(s)Theatre director, theatrical producer
Awards2014 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Early life and education

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Tresnjak is of Serbian heritage.[1] Tresnjak and his mother moved from Zemun, Yugoslavia (modern-day Serbia) to Maryland in 1976. He graduated from Swarthmore College, became a US citizen, and received a master of fine arts degree from Columbia University.[2]

Career

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Around 2000 he wrote Princess Turandot, inspired by Carlo Gozzi's play written in 1762 (upon which Puccini's opera Turandot was based). Tresnjak's play was performed by the Blue Light Theater Company in New York City in December 2000.[3]

He served as resident artistic director at Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, in 2009,[4] and directed for eight summers at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts.[2]

He was the artistic director at Hartford Stage in Hartford, Connecticut[5] from the 2011–2012 season through the 2018–2019 season,[6] where he commissioned The Man in the Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov[7] and directed Kevin Bacon in Rear Window.[8] He left the Hartford Stage for freelance work in June 2019,[9] and was succeeded by Melia Bensussen.[10]

He directed two productions on Broadway: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder in 2013 and Anastasia in 2017.[11][12]

He directed the Theatre for a New Audience production of Eugène Ionesco's The Killer in 2014 at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center, New York City.[13]

Awards

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Productions

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Hartford Stage productions

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Tresnjak's productions at Hartford Stage have included:

Other theater and opera

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References

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  1. ^ Mejia, Carlos (8 February 2019). "Darko Tresnjak Readies His Final Performance At Hartford Stage". www.wnpr.org. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  2. ^ a b Shirley, Don. "He prefers it rare" Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2004
  3. ^ Portantiere, Michael (December 13, 2000). "Princess Turandot". TheaterMania. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  4. ^ BWW News Desk. "Old Globe’s 2009 Summer Festival" BroadwayWorld.com
  5. ^ "Darko Tresnjak" Playbill
  6. ^ Gates, Anita. "Darko Tresnjak Takes Over at Hartford Stage" The New York Times, September 18, 2011
  7. ^ Rizzo, Frank. "Misha, 'Man In A Case,' At Hartford Stage" Archived 2018-11-20 at the Wayback Machine Hartford Courant
  8. ^ Rizzo, Frank. "Kevin Bacon to Star in ‘Rear Window’ at Hartford Stage" Archived 2018-11-20 at the Wayback Machine Hartford Courant
  9. ^ Arnott, Christopher. "Darko Tresnjak says goodbye to Hartford Stage with the new musical 'Flamingo Kid'" Hartford Courant, May 9, 2019
  10. ^ Arnott, Christopher (2019-01-10). "Meet Melia Bensussen, the new artistic leader of Hartford Stage". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  11. ^ a b "Reviews" The New York Times, 2013
  12. ^ "Awards" ibdb.com, retrieved May 19, 2019
  13. ^ "Theatre for a New Audience's THE KILLER, Starring Michael Shannon, Begins Tonight" broadwayworld.com, May 16, 2014
  14. ^ Rizzo, Frank. "Tony Wins for Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak And 'A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder'" Hartford Courant, June 9, 2014
  15. ^ Cox, Gordon."Drama Desk Toasts Broadway’s ‘Gentleman’s Guide’ at 2014 Awards" Variety.com
  16. ^ Winners in 2015 obieawrds.com, 2015
  17. ^ HAMILTON, Darko Tresnjak, Ayad Akhtar & More Win 2015 Obie Awards - Full List!" BroadwayWorld.com
  18. ^ Arnott, Christopher. The Heartbreak House Archived 2018-12-05 at the Wayback Machine Hartford Courant, 2017
  19. ^ Harrison, Joseph. "Review. The Comedy of Errors" Broadway World, 2017
  20. ^ Fillo, Maryellen. "'Romeo and Juliet'" Connecticut Mag
  21. ^ Rizzo, Frank. "Kevin Bacon to Star in ‘Rear Window’ at Hartford Stage" Archived 2018-11-20 at the Wayback Machine Hartford Courant
  22. ^ McNulty, Charles. " 'Kiss Me Kate' Review" Los Angeles Times
  23. ^ Gates, Anita. "Review. 'Private Lives'" The New York Times, 2015
  24. ^ Rizzo, Frank. "Review. Hamlet'" Archived 2018-12-05 at the Wayback Machine Hartford Courant, 2014
  25. ^ Rizzo, Frank. "Review. Macbeth" Archived 2018-12-05 at the Wayback Machine Hartford Courant, 2013
  26. ^ Gold, Sylviane. "Review. La Dispute" The New York Times, 2013
  27. ^ Gold, Sylviane. "Review. Twelfth Night" The New York Times
  28. ^ Gold, Sylviane. "Review. Breath and Imagination" The New York Times, 2013
  29. ^ Isherwood, Charles. "Reviews" The New York Times, 2012
  30. ^ Gold, Sylviane. [1] The New York Times
  31. ^ Rizzo, Frank. "Behind the Curtain" Archived 2018-12-05 at the Wayback Machine Hartford Courant, 2012
  32. ^ Davidson, Justin. "Opera Review: The Met Brings Back 'Samson et Dalila', With Just Enough Fromage" Vulture, September 25, 2018
  33. ^ Swed, Mark. "Plácido Domingo's sound and fury in L.A. Opera's 'Macbeth' Los Angeles Times, September 18, 2016
  34. ^ Martinez, Matthew. " 'The Ghosts of Versailles' a triumph at LA Opera" Bachtrack, February 9, 2015
  35. ^ Green, Jesse. "Review" Vulture, 2014
  36. ^ Der zerbrochene Krug / Der Zwerg Opera Today, February 21, 2011
  37. ^ Mermelstein, David. "New Life for Works Hitler Tried to Kill" The New York Times, February 10, 2008
  38. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Goodspeed's 'City of Angels' Will Star D.B. Bonds, Burke Moses, Laurie Wells, Nancy Anderson" Playbill, August 17, 2011
  39. ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly. "Stratford’s 'Titus Andronicus' is electrical" The Globe and Mail, July 15, 2011
  40. ^ Billington, Michael. The Guardian
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