Episode 127. Les Waters – Past Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville (“ATL”)

Episode 127. Les Waters – Past Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville (“ATL”) (2012-2018)

Theatre director Les Waters’ interest in contemporary art and new plays drives him in his career.

Born to a working-class family in rural England, Les is an award-winning British theatre director. He has numerous theatre credits in New York and around the U.S., including winning an Obie for the premiere of “Big Love” at the Humana Festival.

Les headed the M.F.A. directing program at UC San Diego from 1995 to 2003. He also served as associate artistic director with the Berkeley Repertory Theatre from 2003 to 2011.

In 2000 and again in 2004, Les came to Louisville to direct shows for the Humana Festival. In 2012, he was hired as artistic director of the Actors Theatre of Louisville and took charge of the Humana Festival, succeeding Mark Masterson.

In its previous 50 years, Actors Theatre of Louisville has had only three artistic directors. Actors Theatre of Louisville is considered one of the most prestigious professional theatre companies in the United States. It has introduced over 400 plays and earned many awards, including a Tony Award.

Les is married to set designer, Annie Smart; They have two daughters and one son.

Background & Biography

• Les Waters was born in April 1952 in Cleethorpes, England.

• Early in his career, he worked in British theatre (including with the Joint Stock Theatre Company and other prominent UK venues such as the National Theatre and Royal Court).

• He moved into U.S. theatre work, eventually taking a teaching and leadership role: from 1995 to 2003, he led the M.F.A. directing program at the University of California, San Diego.

• From 2003 to 2011, he served as Associate Artistic Director at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Tenure at Actors Theatre of Louisville

• In November 2011, Waters was named Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville (ATL).

• He assumed full-time duties in January 2012.

• His first season included directing the classic Long Day’s Journey into Night (October 2012), marking his debut as Artistic Director there.

• He led the theatre through several years of new-work focus, notably influencing the annual Humana Festival of New American Plays (hosted by ATL) by selecting or overseeing world premieres of plays by authors such as Sarah Ruhl, Lucas Hnath, and Chuck Mee.

• In May 2018, he publicly announced that the 2017–18 season would be his last as Artistic Director, and he left the post in the summer of 2018 to pursue freelance directing.

Artistic Profile & Impact

• Waters is known for being a champion of new theatrical work: in an interview, he said, “New works for me are like a map or a guide to an experience … they help explain the world to me.”

• His aesthetic often blends the classical with the contemporary, emphasising physical staging and rehearsal-room dynamics. For example, in the aforementioned production of Long Day’s Journey into Night, he presented the actors as though they were living in a rehearsal space rather than a fixed “set”.

• During his tenure at ATL, he helped restore the Humana Festival’s reputation as a leading venue for new American plays. As one critic noted:

  “It’s not hard to detect his stamp on Humana selections … One must tread lightly with invidious comparisons, but it seems clear that under Waters Humana has firmly regained its preeminent reputation as a new-play showcase.”

• Waters emphasises collaborative theatre-making and a repertory ethos derived from his UK background (e.g., Joint Stock). He has stated:

  “I direct, I don’t interpret. But … I bring some kind of physical vision of life in front of people.”

Selected Notable Productions & Achievements

• He directed the premiere of Big Love (by Chuck Mee) at the Humana Festival in 2000; that production received an Obie Award Special Citation.

• At ATL, he directed world premieres, including:

  • The Christians (Lucas Hnath)

  • Evocation to Visible Appearance (Mark Schultz)

  • At the Vanishing Point (Naomi Iizuka)

• His work has been recognized widely: his productions have appeared on “best of” lists in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time Magazine, and The Guardian.

Significance

• Waters’ directorship contributed to maintaining and elevating ATL’s national reputation, especially as a laboratory for new American drama.

• His approach bridged regional theatre (Louisville) and national innovation in play development, helping local audiences engage with contemporary themes while maintaining a commitment to creative adventurousness.

• For someone of your background in multimedia production, KIRT, the trajectory of Waters may be of interest: his path illustrates how a regional institution can serve as a launch pad for innovative content and national influence, and how leadership in the arts often involves both creative vision and institutional stewardship.

Summary

In sum, Les Waters is a British-born theatre director and educator who, over several decades, has directed major productions, led training programs, and, from 2012 to 2018, served as Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville. His tenure is marked by a strong emphasis on new plays, inventive staging, and helping to position ATL as a key venue in the American new‐theatre landscape.