Craig Slaight

Craig Slaight is an American director and author. He is the director of the Young Conservatory at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, California. In 1989 he created the "New Plays" program to develop new stage plays that showed the world through the voice of the young. Slaight's feeling was that there was a shortage and a need for contemporary work by professional renowned playwrights that spoke to and about the young actor. He sought out work class playwrights and commissioned them to create new work. The playwrights would develop these plays at ACT and the students would be part of the shaping process. As of 2006 there have been dozens of plays and four anthologies published and available to young actors worldwide. In 1999 Slaight commissioned playwright Timothy Mason to write "Time on Fire" which was the first production by a young American company to ever play the National Theatre in London. In 1994 Craig received the President's Award from the Educational Theater Association for outstanding contributions to youth theater.
In addition to the New Plays series, Slaight has published, along with Jack Sharrar, ten acting and play anthologies for young actors through Smith and Kraus one of the nation's leading play services.
He graduated from Central Michigan University and taught high school at Morley-Stanwood High School for several years before moving to Los Angeles, California with his actor brother Brad Slaight. While in Los Angeles, Slaight worked at the Mark Taper Forum, the Los Angeles Actor's Theatre, and Theater 40 in Beverly Hills. He won critical praise and acclaim for his many directing projects. He directed such actors as Linda Purl, Betty Garrett, Harold Gould, and Robert Foxworth. He accepted his current position at ACT in 1988 and now resides in San Francisco.
He grew up in Cedar Springs, Michigan and while on summer break from college he created the Cedar Springs Community Players, which still exists today.
He was on the faculty at the Los Angeles School for the Arts
His middle name is Richard, after his father Richard Slaight.

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