“Under the exquisite direction of Robbie Simpson, the musical is a bona-fide home run.”
Photo credit: YellowBelly
Beetlejuice at Dadi Music in Shanghai, 2024
Robbie Simpson is a Manhattan-based director whose work has been seen in New York City, London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Aspen, and on national tours playing over 75 cities across North America.
Directing credits include A Charlie Brown Christmas at The Palladium Theater on 44th and Broadway, highlighted by The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time Out as one of the top events of the holiday season, with performances on NBC, FOX5's Good Day New York, and the PIX11 Morning Show. The production received three subsequent North American national tours. Additional directing credits include Beetlejuice at Dadi Music in Shanghai, Bright Star at Theater Aspen, Deathtrap at the Majestic Theater, and Phoenix Rising at Theater 555 in New York City.
Robbie serves as Director of Creative Development at Midnight Theatricals, a Tony and Lortel Award-nominated production company based in New York. At Midnight, he served on the directing team for the London, Los Angeles, and Australian productions of Afterglow, as well as the world premiere of Scarlett Dreams starring Andrew Keenan-Bolger at the Greenwich House Theater Off-Broadway. Other notable Midnight projects include Oscar at the Crown in London and Open at the WP Theater Off-Broadway.
He also serves as Director of Musical Theater at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, where he expanded the program to include new initiatives in China and Los Angeles, and is a faculty member at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
Robbie recently concluded his tenure as Interim Artistic Director of the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Chicago, where he directed Cabaret, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and The Addams Family, and programmed the 2023-2024 season, which saw a resurgence in subscriptions to pre-pandemic levels and a record increase in single ticket sales.
Among his current projects, Robbie is developing After Pinocchio and Finding Mulan, both of which received fully produced industry presentations in New York City produced by Emma Wang and Sharon Fallon.
Previous credits include the directing teams of the Broadway national tours of Chicago alongside Tony Award-winner Walter Bobbie and A Christmas Story alongside Matt Lenz, as well as Associate Artistic Director of the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts, working alongside Michael Rader.
A native of West Springfield, Massachusetts, Robbie holds an MFA from The Old Globe/University of San Diego and a BFA from Syracuse University. He is represented by 44 West Entertainment and UIA Talent Agency, and lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his partner Kyle and their dog Nellie.
A Charlie Brown Christmas National Tour and Palladium Theater on 44th & Broadway, 2022. Directed by Robbie Simpson | Video: PRIMME Creative
The Addams Family at Metropolis Performing Acts Center in Chicagoland, 2023. Directed by Robbie Simpson
Scarlett Dreams at The Greenwich House Theater off- Broadway | 2024. Associate Director Robbie Simpson.
Ragtime at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Chicagoland, 2023. Artistic Director: Robbie Simpson | Directed by Jerrell L. Henderson | Video: Mike Meyer
The Legend of Georgia McBride at Metropolis Performing Acts Center in Chicagoland, 2023. Directed by Robbie Simpson
““The Addams Family” was easily one of Metropolis’ most entertaining productions.”
“Robbie Simpson artfully directs this macabre musical hit.”
“Director Robbie Simpson and his team of performers knock the ball out of the park with this production of Cabaret… with high intensity, feverish dance, and exceptional singing, Metropolis’ production of Cabaret is one of the best musical outings they’ve done in years.”
Scarlett Dreams at The Greenwich House Theater off- Broadway | 2024. Associate Director Robbie Simpson.
Partially produced, Industry Presentation of AFTER PINOCCHIO at Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater. Directed by Robbie Simpson.
The Addams Family at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Chicagoland, 2023. Directed by Robbie Simpson. Photo: Jennifer Heim
Afterglow at the Southwark Playhouse in London, England | 2024. Associate Director Robbie Simpson.
The Legend of Georgia McBride at The Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Chicagoland, 2023. Directed by Robbie Simpson. Photo: Jennifer Heim
Ragtime at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Chicagoland, 2023. Artistic Director Robbie Simpson | Directed by Jerrell L. Henderson | Photo: Jennifer Heim
Charlie Brown Christmas National Tour and New York City, Times Square production, 2021 — 2023. Directed by Robbie Simpson. Photo: Curtis Brown
Cabaret at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Chicagoland, 2022. Directed by Robbie Simpson. Photo: Jennifer Heim
Afterglow at The Hudson Theater in Los Angeles, 2022. Associate Director: Robbie Simpson | Photo: Mati Gelman.
Deathtrap at The Majestic Theater in West Springfield, Massachusetts, 2020. Directed by Robbie Simpson | Photo: Rick Teller
Chicago National Tour, 2018. Associate Director: Robbie Simpson.
A Christmas Story National Tour, 2018 & 2019. Associate Director: Robbie Simpson
A Charlie Brown Christmas National Tour, 2023
Please direct all professional inquires to Aaron Sanko at UIA Talent Agency | asanko@uiatalent.com
Photo by Jeremy Varner