BIO

Hunter Bird (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based director, writer, and developer of plays, musicals, and theatrical experiences.

Career highlights include directing the world premieres of Bronco Billy: The Musical (London’s Charing Cross, TimeOut 5-star rated; Los Angeles’ Skylight Theater, 2 Ovation Awards), XY (Village Theater with Alhadeff Productions), and The Laodamiad (Signature Theatre, Dramaturg Oskar Eustis with development at Roundabout Theater Company). He's developed new work with Ars Nova, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The McKittrick Hotel, Musical Theater Factory, NAMT Festival, and the Getty Villa.

As a writer, Bird co-created The Pansy Craze starring Mason Alexander Park (London’s Underbelly Boulevard developed with Scrap Paper Pictures), She Reached for Heaven (SOMA Stage, Red Mountain Theater Company, Nashville Rep), and The Golden Record (Ferguson Center for the Arts, Pilot Arts). He's held writing residencies at the Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, Warren Miller PAC, and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.

Notable associate/assistant directing credits include the national tours of Beetlejuice: The Musical and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, the original Pulitzer Prize-winning production Clybourne Park (CTG’s Mark Taper Forum), the Flaming Lips’ musical Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (La Jolla), Richard Greenberg’s Our Mother’s Brief Affair (Broadway, MTC starring Linda Lavin), and works directed by Lynne Meadow, Des McAnuff, Alex Timbers, Pam MacKinnon, Susan Booth, Graciela Daniele, Doug Hughes, Gilbert Cates, Kristin Hanggi, The Debate Society, V (formerly Eve Ensler), and the National Theater of Scotland.

Affiliations include CTG's Mid-Career Alumni, MTC Jonathan Alpert Fellow, and The Civilians R&D Group. Training: UCLA (BA Directing/Musical Theatre) and RADA.

WORK WITH ME

I'm always excited to collaborate with theaters, producers, writers, and artists who share a passion for bold, imaginative storytelling. Whether reinvestigating an existing property or developing a new work from the ground up, I approach each project with a spirit of rigorous exploration and joyful possibility.

As a director, I specialize in fusing music, movement, and narrative into transformative audience experiences. My strengths include facilitating deeply collaborative rooms, spearheading a dynamic visual/design vocabulary with a creative team, and staging theatrical sequences at any scale. I have a particular focus on nurturing new musicals.

As a writer, my original musicals blend high-concept premises with radically empathetic character studies. My work usually falls into one of two boxes: intimate chamber musicals exploring life’s biggest questions and high-camp spectacles.

I'm also available as an experienced script dramaturg/project developer to provide expert feedback and consult on your work's path to production.

Want to make something together? Get in touch!