Don Scardino

Don Scardino is an actor, director, and producer with a career spanning fifty years. Starting in high school, he began working as an actor on national tours and soap operas. Scardino then went on to star in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows until the 1980s, when he began directing full-time. In 1992, Scardino became the Artistic Director of Playwrights Horizons and remained in that position until 1996. His Off-Broadway acting credits include: GODSPELL (1970), I’M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD (1978), HOW I GOT THAT STORY (1982), Directing credits include HIGHEST STANDARD OF LIVING (1986), LATER LIFE (1993), and A CHEEVER EVENING (1994.

Scardino was born in Queens, NY to professional jazz musicians. In addition to his stage work, Scardino directed and produced extensively for film and television. He directed episodes of “Law & Order,” “30 Rock,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt.” He also directed the 2013 film, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone starring Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi. Scardino’s Broadway productions include A Few Good Men, Sacrilege, and Lennon. He has received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award, and an Obie Award for Direction.

Mentioned in Interview

Alan Alda, Lenny Baker, Andre Bishop, Mark Bramble, David Brown, Steve Carell, Ming Cho Lee, Hans Conried, Chuck Cooper, Tom Cruise, Gretchen Cryer, John Cunningham, Ted Danson, Danny DeVito, John Dexter, Peter Duchen, Patty Duke, Tina Fey, Nancy Ford, Bob Fosse, Victor Garber, Ruth Gordon, Kathryn Grayson, Andy Griffith, Bob Gunton, A.R Gurney, Ethan Hawke, Katherine Hepburn, Robert Hogan, Harry James, John Christopher Jones, Barbara Lester, Roberta Levitow, Eugene Levy, Santo Loquasto, David Merrick, Arthur Miller, Moon Dog, Cynthia Nixon, Lawrence Olivier, Joseph Papp, Bernadette Peters, Amanda Plummer, Theresa Rebeck, Phillip Rose, Martin Short, Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Aaron Sorkin, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, Barry and Fran Weissler, Robert Whitehead, Gene Wilder, Lanford Wilson, 48th St Theatre, BAM, Caffe Cino, Cherry Lane Theatre, Circle in the Square Theatre, Circle Repertory Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Gate Theatre, La MaMa ETC, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Punch Line Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Phoenix Repertory Theatre, Playhouse Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, The Promenade Theater, The Public Theater, Round House Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, Westside Arts Theater, ARTS AND LEISURE, AVENUE X, A CHEEVER EVENING, FLOYD COLLINS, GODSPELL, HANG ON TO THE GOOD TIMES, HIGHEST STANDARD OF LIVING, HOW I GOT THAT STORY, I’M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD, IMAGINARY LIFE, JACK’S HOLIDAY, KID CHAMPION, KING OF HEARTS, LATER LIFE, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, MAN IN HIS UNDERWEAR, MOE’S LUCKY SEVEN, MOONCHILDREN, MY DAUGHTER, YOUR SON, PIPPIN, POLICE BOYS, RIMERS OF ELDRITCH, SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS, SOPHISTRY, SORROWS OF STEPHEN, TAKE HER, SHE’S MINE, THE FANTASTICKS, THE MONOGAMIST

The primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral history Project

Mentioned in Interview