David Ira Goldstein’s theatrical career began in the shul where he became a bar mitzvah. He was a teenager in the Jewish suburb St. Louis Park in Minneapolis and his temple was putting on that mainstay of community musicals, “The Music Man.” David won the role of Mayor Shinn, and his career took off from there. “My shul is a bit famous,” David adds, “not because of ‘The Music Man’ for sure, but because it is the same one used in the Coen brothers’ movie, ‘A Serious Man.’”
Now in his 21st year as artistic director of Arizona Theatre Company, David looked back at his entrée into the theater world with a nostalgic grin. The sole member of his family to be intrigued by the arts, David nonetheless received great support from his parents and siblings. While they might have preferred he go into law or medicine, they accepted the fact that he had a penchant for the arts, attended his shows and encouraged his drive. He received his bachelor of fine arts degree and started in the theater as an actor, but he eventually realized that he was even more interested in directing.
After acting at various venues around the Twin Cities, he returned to school at the University of Minnesota to earn a master’s in fine arts, with a directing emphasis. He soon discovered that while his potential career as an actor might not be successful, his future as a director was very bright. He’s been steadily employed as a director ever since.
David was associate artistic director at Actors Theatre of St. Paul from 1983-86 and also served as a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), traveling to various theaters throughout the country and writing reports on the strengths and needs of regional theaters. In this capacity he was also able to expand his network of colleagues, which in turn, led to invitations to direct at theaters across the country.
He has directed in theaters from Alaska to Florida and most places in between. Before com- ing to Arizona Theatre Company, he was as- sociate artistic director at ACT Theatre in Seattle. In 1992, he had come to Tucson to direct “Other People’s Money” for Arizona Theatre Company when he was asked if he’d like to apply for the position of artistic direc- tor of ATC. He jumped at the chance, though he did have to have a suit sent from Seattle by FedEx so he could look presentable for the interview. Since that time he has produced more than 190 mainstage plays, workshops and presentations, includ- ing acclaimed appearances by the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and the Theatre Royal Bath. He received the 2010 Leader of the Year Award in Arts and Humanities from the Capitol Times and the 2003 Governor’s Arts Award as Individual Artist for his contributions to the arts in Arizona.
David recently was able to cross one desire off his bucket list: to direct “Fiddler on the Roof.” “With such a terrific book and wonderful music, ‘Fiddler’ is a joy to direct. We had only three Jews in the cast at Village Theatre (Seattle), so we brought in several rabbis to help with background. I’ve always wanted to be able to bring this show ‘To Life’ and had a great time doing it.” Not wanting to be type-cast as a director of just “comedies” or “musicals,” David directs them all, including Shakespeare. While he has directed intimate, small shows, he prefers to direct a large-cast show, such as a musical or Shakespearean production. His training emphasized this kind of work, and David finds it both challenging and rewarding to paint the large pictures on the stage. When directing for ATC, David wears dual hats as the stage director and company artistic director, which gives him great authority and also great responsibility.
As artistic director, David chooses the season. This year he has included the Neil Simon classic “The Sunshine Boys,” which he will direct himself. “I think of ‘The Sunshine Boys’ as a bridge play between Simon’s earlier comedies and his later, more significant works. I’d count it among his top five plays, alongside ‘The Odd Couple,’ ‘Brighton Beach,’ ‘Broadway Bound’ and ‘Lost in Yonkers.’”
Written in 1972, “The Sunshine Boys” tells the story of the vaudeville comedy team of Lewis and Clark. They’re aging and haven’t performed together for 11 years, mostly because they can’t stand each other! They agree to reunite for one last TV performance, if they can manage to get along long enough for the taping. It is most likely based on the comedy team of Smith and Dale (born Sultzer and Marks), who performed with heavy Jewish dialects and memorable one-liners. Simon may have also been influenced by Gallagher & Shean. Shean was born Albert Schoenberg and was the brother of Minnie Marx, the mother of the Marx brothers.
“This play has a great mix of comedy and pathos. Simon got the mix just right,” David opines. “It’s very honest and touching. Simon knows this world. Their bickering is so Jewish. The play deals with issues of aging, friendship, resentment and reconcilia- tion, all wrapped up in the comic genius of Neil Simon’s writing.”
In 2011 ATC produced “Lost in Yonkers.” For the part of the crotchety grandmother, they brought in Judy Kaye from New York. Judy is a two-time Tony award winning actress who was born and raised in Phoenix. And now, for “The Sunshine Boys,” ATC is bringing in David Green, who happens to be Judy’s husband, for the role of Al Lewis. David was seen on the ATC stage last season in “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club” and has extensive Broadway credits as well. Nemesis Willie Clark will be played by Peter Van Norden with Bob Sorenson, a Valley favorite, in the role of Ben Silverman, Willie’s nephew. Also appearing is Phoenix actress Lillie Rich- ardson, University of Arizona student Caitlin Stegemoller and Seattle-based Jon Lutyens, fresh from his role as Mendel in the “Fiddler on the Roof,” which David recently directed.
Putting on his stage director hat, David looks forward to yet another project. “You learn something about life and the human condition from each play you delve into. You find the themes, the metaphors, the honesty. And I have a marvelous cast to add into the mix.”
ATC is perhaps the only professional regional theater to produce in two cities. The show will rehearse in Tucson and open there at the Temple of Music and Art on March 2. Assuming, of course, they can stop laughing long enough during the rehearsals to get the real work done.
