Peter is a New York based director, writer and educator who works in new work development, as well as reworking classic American musicals in New York and for some of the most notable regional theaters in the country. He is also an Associate Professor of Musical Theatre at Montclair State University.
Most recently, Peter directed a new production of Fiddler on the Roof for the Olney Theatre Center which focused the story on the immigrant experience and its relevance to our country’s current crisis. This past fall, he directed the new multimedia performance of November 1918: The Great War & the Great Gatsby for Carnegie Hall. He also directed the world premiere of the new South African musical, Calling Us Home by Alice Gillham, which is set for a European tour in the fall of 2024.
Other New York credits include the off-Broadway premiere of Smart Blonde by Willy Holtzman starring Andréa Burns; the off-Broadway premiere of Curvy Widow by Bobby Goldman & Drew Brody; Rhapsody in Seth starring Seth Rudetsky; Lee Blessing’s Two Rooms; the 75th Anniversary performance of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town with Adriane Lenox, B.D. Wong, S. Epatha Merkerson; On the 20th Century with Douglas Sills & Marin Mazzie; Chess with Josh Groban & Julia Murney; and Funny Girl with Sutton Foster, Bebe Neuwirth, Whoopi Goldberg, & Andrea Martin.
In 2022, Peter was the Resident Artistic Producer for Little Island during its Summer Festival. While in residence, he oversaw a variety of performances including the Broadway Inspirational Voices, Machine de Cirque, PigPen Theatre, and guest artists such as Lillias White, Ayodele Casel, and pianist Matthew Whitaker.
During the pandemic, Peter directed two acclaimed virtual productions. The first, a filmed performance of Theresa Rebeck’s Bad Dates for the George St. Playhouse, garnered several Broadway World Award nominations including Best Director, and Best Actor (Andréa Burns). The second, a completely re-conceived version of Stephen Schwartz’ Working for Montclair State University, included new monologues based on interviews with frontline and essential workers during the pandemic.
Peter also became the Founding Artistic Director of Plays In the House, a biweekly virtual play reading series benefiting the Actors Fund and the NAACP/LDF. Performances included the original cast of Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles, Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit starring Leslie Uggams, and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife written by and starring Charles Busch.
Other credits include Andrea Martin’s one woman show, Andrea Martin: Final Days Everything Must Go; Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop; Gypsy at the St. Louis MUNY; Kiss Me, Kate for the Maltz-Jupiter Theatre where he has also directed Man of LaMancha (Carbonell Award, Best Director & Best Musical); and Into the Woods & Ragtime (Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Direction for both productions) for Ford’s Theatre where he is an Associate Artist.
As a writer, Peter has written the book for two new musicals: Lily, a musical adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, and Love of the Game, an adaptation of the Michael Shaara novella. Both are written with composer/lyricist Brooks Ashmanskas. Peter has also written the scripts for the Drama Desk Awards, the Second Stage Theatre Annual Gala, the Guthrie Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Performance, and for industrials including Aztra-Seneca Pharmaceuticals.
Peter was the Artistic Director of the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, New York for five seasons, overseeing a variety of large scale productions, intimate plays, and the development of new work. He is also the former Artistic Director of the Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Peter is a graduate of Northwestern University, president of the board for Live and In Color, Artistic Ambassador for the Christchurch International Musical Theatre Summer School, and a member of SDC.
For Peter’s teaching experience, please visit the “Teaching” page.