About Steven Petrillo
As a theatre professional for nearly 30 years, Steve has crossed various genres and disciplines.
In the 1980’s, he focused on modern dance, winning awards and scholarships while attending his alma mater, Hunter College. He studied with Paul Taylor, Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis, and at Jacobs Pillow with a variety of choreographers. In 1987 his piece CATCH! was featured in the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, hosted by Donald Saddler.
After graduating, he focused on theatre.
As a performer, Steve’s Broadway & Production National Tour credits include Peter Pan, starring Cathy Rigby (’99 & ‘05); Man of La Mancha, starring Robert Goulet; and Jesus Christ Superstar, starring Carl Anderson. In film and television, he has had featured roles on Law & Order C.I., opposite Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, and the NBC mini-series A Will of Their Own‚ opposite Lea Thompson and Thomas Gibson, as well as appearances in The Stepford Wives and Devil’s Advocate, among others.
Look for his most recent gig on TV in the latest NY Mega Millions Commercial opposite a cardboard cutout of Ralph, The Lottery Guy.
As a director, Steven has helmed many musicals, plays, and revues.
He began his directing career in the early 1990’s as an assistant on shows like Chess, Crazy For You, Me & My Girl, High Society, Sound of Music, and Singin' in the Rain at such theatres as The North Shore Music Theatre, Westchester Broadway Theatre, The North Carolina Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, The La Mirada Theatre, and Seattle’s Fifth Ave Theatre.
In the early part of the millennium Steve branched out on his own.
He made his Off-Broadway directorial debut in 2007 with Sessions, a musical about therapy, at Playwrights Horizons, earning him critical acclaim, and an extension due to popularity. He collaborated on Sessions from July of 2005, directing multiple readings, workshops, and backer’s auditions.
Regionally, he won critical acclaim for directing the East Coast premiere of Route 66, a musical tribute to The Mother Road, in The Berkshires; Rumors for Parkside Players; and for his choreography for regional productions of Fiddler on the Roof and Love! Valour! Compassion!
Earlier this year, he directed a successful production of another Neil Simon piece,
Laughter on the 23rd Floor, for The ACC, a not-for-profit theatre company here in NYC.
Steve also directed several new musicals for the developmental series at The York Theatre Company in NYC. As an Associate Producer/Director with Algonquin Productions as well as Director of Musical Theatre Development with The WorkShop Theatre Company, Steve has kept himself busy over the years developing a variety of plays and musicals from the ground up.
As a writer/director, Steve has collaborated on more than a dozen new works including Operaplay by Rick Eisenberg, Consumer Behavior by Lynda Crawford and Gary Kupper, and The Fountain of Youth by Steven Aprahamian. The latter one, he is still in the midst of collaborations and recording sessions on the CD.
In his spare time, Steven holds a weekly “Musical Theatre GYM”, where singers can come and work on material for auditions, cabaret shows, or even recordings in a constructive environment.
Currently, Steve is hard at work as the new director on .22 Caliber Mouth, a bluesy rock influenced musical by Lauren Robert set in the edgier side of New York City in the late 1970's. Keep an eye out for this groundbreaking piece.
In his spare time, Steven is a budding poet.