Andrei Serban Biography (1943-)
Full name, Andrei George Serban; born June 21, 1943, in Bucharest, Romania; immigrated to the United States in 1969; son of Gheorghe and Elpis (maiden name, Lichardopu) Serban; married; two children. Addresses: Office: Columbia University, School of Arts, 601C Dodge Hall, 2960 Broadway, New York, NY10027-6902.
- Nationality
- Romanian
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Director
- Birth Details
- June 21, 1943
- Bucharest, Romania
Famous Works
- CREDITS
- Stage Director
- Arden of Faversham, Romania, 1965
- Ubu Roi, Romania, 1966
- Julius Caesar, Romania, 1968
- The Good Woman of Setzuan, Young People's Theatre of Piatra Neampt, Bucharest, Romania, 1968
- Jonah, Bucharest's Little Theatre, Romania, 1969
- Arden of Faversham, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, New York City, 1970
- Ubu Roi, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, 1970
- The Fragments of a Trilogy (composed of three plays: The TrojanWomen, Medea, and Elektra), La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, 1974-1976
- The Good Woman of Setzuan, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, 1975
- As You Like It, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, 1976
- The Cherry Orchard, New York Shakespeare Festival, Vivian BeaumontTheatre, New York City, 1977
- Agamemnon, New York Shakespeare Festival, Vivian Beaumont Theatre,then Delacorte Theatre, New York City, both 1977
- The Ghost Sonata, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1977
- Sganarelle: An Evening of Moliere Farces, Yale Repertory Theatre,then New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, New York City, both 1978
- (And set designer) The Master and Margarita, New York ShakespeareFestival, Public Theatre, 1978
- The Umbrellas of Cherbourg New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1979, then Phoenix Theatre, London, 1980
- Happy Days, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1979
- The Seagull, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1980
- Eugene Onegin, Welsh National Opera, Cardiff, Wales, 1980
- Sganarelle, American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, MA, 1981
- I puritani, Welsh National Opera, 1981
- Norma, Welsh National Opera, 1981 then 1985
- La traviata, Julliard American Opera Centre, New York City, 1981
- The Marriage of Figaro, Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, 1982
- Zastrozzi, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1982
- The Three Sisters, American Repertory Theatre, 1982
- Uncle Vanya, La MaMa Annex, New York City, 1983
- Alcina, New York City Opera, State Theatre, New York City, 1983
- Orpheus Descending, Circle in the Square Theatre, New York City, 1984
- The King Stag, American Repertory Theatre, 1984
- Turandot, Royal Opera House, London, 1984
- The Love of Three Oranges, American Repertory Theatre, 1984
- The Juniper Tree, American Repertory Theatre, 1985
- The Marriage of Figaro, Circle in the Square Theatre, 1985
- Fidelio, Covent Garden Theatre, London, England, 1986
- Sweet Table at the Richelieu, American Repertory Theatre, 1986
- The Good Woman of Setzuan, American Repertory Theatre, 1986
- I puritani, Paris Opera, Paris, 1987
- Fragments of a Greek Trilogy (also known as Fragments of a Trilogy; composed of three plays, Medea, Elektra, and The Trojan Women), La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, 1987
- The Miser, 1988
- Twelfth Night, American Repertory Theatre, 1989
- An Ancient Trilogy (composed of three plays: Medea, TheTrojan Women, and Elektra), National Theatre, Bucharest, Romania,1990
- Lucia di Lammermoor, Civic Opera House, Chicago, IL, 1992, then Los Angeles, later Paris
- Elektra, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, CA, 1992
- The Fiery Angel, Opera Bastille, Paris, 1992
- Les contes d'Hoffman, Vienna State Opera, Vienna, Austria, 1994
- I puritani, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, CA, 1994
- Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor, Opera Bastille, 1995
- The Taming of the Shrew, American Repertory Theatre, Loeb Drama Center, Cambridge, MA, 1997-1998
- Cymbeline, Delacorte Theatre, 1998
- The Merchant of Venice, Loeb Drama Center, 1998-1999
- The King Stag, Loeb Drama Center, 2000
- Hamlet, The Public Theatre, Newman Theatre, New York City, 2000
- Lysistrata, Loeb Drama Center, Harvard University, 2002
- Pericles, Loeb Drama Center, 2003
- Also directed The Magic Flute, Paris Opera; The Serpent Woman; Rodelinda and The Merry Widow, National Welsh Opera; DonCarlos, Caballera Rusticana I Pagliacci, and The Fiery Angel, in Geneva, Switzerland; Oedipe, Romanian National Opera; PrinceIgor and I puritani, Covent Garden Theatre; Eugene Onegin,Lisbon, Portugal; Rigoletto, Venice, Italy; Don Giovanni and Les contes, Vienna, Austria; Adriana Lecouvreur, Zurich, Switzerland; What Happened in Boston, Willie?; Elektra and Thaie, Nice, France; and Peer Gynt, Columbia School of the Arts; also worked with the Shiki Company, Tokyo, Japan.
- Opera Director
- Movies
- Happy Days, 1980
- Prince Igor, 1990
- L'italiana in Algeri, 1998
- Film Stage Director
- Jane Austen in Manhattan, 1980
Further Reference
ADAPTATIONS
- (With Elizabeth Swados) Agamemnon, produced by New York Shakespeare Festival, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, then Delacorte Theatre, New York City, both 1977; The Master and Margarita, produced by New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, New York City, 1978; Fragments of a Greek Trilogy, produced by La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, New York City, 1987.
OTHER SOURCESBooks- Menta, Ed, The Magic World Behind the Curtain: Andrei Serban in the American Theatre, Lang Publishing, 1995
- International Dictionary of Theatre, Volume 3, Actors, Directors and Designers, St. James Press, 1996
Periodicals- Yale Theatre, spring, 1977