Professor Emeritus
Professor EmeritusB.A., Cornell University
M.F.A., New York University, Tisch School of the Arts
Pronouns: He/Him
Xerxes Mehta has directed across the range of dramatic literature. Known for his work on Beckett’s short plays, he has toured productions to Beckett festivals in Strasbourg (Not I, That Time, Ohio Impromptu) (1996) and Berlin (Play, That Time, Ohio Impromptu) (2000). His essays on Beckett’s theatre have appeared in the Journal of Beckett Studies, Samuel Beckett Today / Aujourd’hui, The Beckett Circle / Le Cercle de Beckett, Directing Beckett (Michigan, 1994), and A Companion to Samuel Beckett (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). He has spoken on Beckett and organized panels and performances at international Beckett events, and is a former president of the Samuel Beckett Society (2000-02).
Recent directing—Rep Stage (Columbia, MD): A Lie of the Mind (Shepard) (“Best Production,” City Paper, 2009), Two by Pinter (The Collection, The Lover) (“Best Theatre Director,” City Paper, 2007). New York: The Time of the Child (Cubiculo); Myth/Oedipus (with Christopher Lloyd) (St. Clement’s); Rashomon (with Bill Duke), Waiting for Godot, The Trojan Women (NYU/Tisch). Regional: Founder / Artistic Director, The Maryland Stage Company—The Winter’s Tale, Three Sisters, The Balcony, The Way of the World, Marat/Sade, King Lear, Old Times, The Misanthrope, The Duchess of Malfi, Tartuffe, The Seagull, Six Degrees of Separation, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, among others. American premiere: Louise Page’s Beauty and the Beast (1986). World premieres: Richard Wilbur’s translation of Racine’s Andromache (1981), Naomi Wallace’s Duet for Water (2008). Opera: The Marriage of Figaro, The Threepenny Opera. His work has been reviewed by The New York Times, the Village Voice, TheaterWeek, Show Business, Theatre Journal, Western European Stages, Journal of Beckett Studies, The Beckett Circle, France-Amérique, Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin), Der Morgenpost (Berlin), and the Baltimore/Washington media. Nine of his productions have been named “Best of the Year” and four have been anthologized.
He has taught acting, directing and dramatic literature, and was a member of the graduate faculty of the University of Maryland. He was Chair of the Department of Theatre from 1976 to 1980.