Adam L Sussman

I’m an educator, director and writer based in SF. Artistically, I make work (plays, interactive experiences, and audio) that pokes at the unresolved questions and inequities within our culture. I’m particularly drawn to directing new work and script development. Directing credits include the World Premiere of Jeffrey Lo’s Zac and Siah, or Jesus in a Body Bag; the West Coast premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s How to Transcend a Happy Marriage (“One of the top shows of the year.” “Leaping man [highest rating]. The love and mating ritual we all need.” SF Chronicle); and a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice at UT Theatre and Dance (“One of the top productions of the year” Austin-American Statesman, Best Production and Best Director nominations Austin Critics Table).

I’ve developed work in various capacities with The Theatre Offensive, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Cornerstone Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse, The Orchard Project, This American Life, and the University of Texas at Austin where I received my MFA in 2019.

I’m a recipient of Theatre Bay Area’s Titan Award, a CA$H Grant Recipient, and a 2016 TBA award for Best Anthology Production.

As an educator, I’m passionate about teaching the arts and the humanities to students of all ages. I’ve taught courses in writing composition and theater to undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin; new play development to MFA students at SFSU, core classes at Bentley Middle and Upper School and Castilleja School; and worked with teachers at Aptos Middle School to integrate arts into their English curriculum via a residency through American Conservatory Theater.

In addition to my work in theater and education, I have a background in cultural anthropology and public health: coordinating harm reduction and overdose prevention programs, qualitative research into HIV/AIDS prevention, and managing clinical quality improvement for safety-net health centers.

I can be reached at Adam.L.Sussman@gmail.com.