Biographie
In the theater world, Tom Moore is renowned for directing "'night Mother" (featuring Kathy Bates and Anne Pitoniak), which won the Pulitzer Prize and earned him his second Tony nomination. He is also celebrated for directing the original Broadway production of "Grease," which ran for eight years and stands as one of Broadway's longest-running shows. This production launched the careers of stars such as Barry Bostwick, John Travolta, Richard Gere, Peter Gallagher, Greg Evigan, Treat Williams, Patrick Swayze, Marilu Henner, Adrienne Barbeau, David Paymer, and many others who continue to work in theater, film, and television. Most recently, Moore directed the Broadway production of "Moon Over Buffalo," starring Carol Burnett. A documentary titled "Moon Over Broadway," by Pennebaker-Hegedes, chronicling the production from rehearsals to opening night, has been shown in theaters, on television, and released on video and DVD. His first Tony nomination came for directing the Big Band musical "Over Here," which brought the Andrews Sisters out of retirement. Other Broadway credits include the acclaimed revival of "Once In A Lifetime" (with John Lithgow) at Circle in the Square, "Division Street," "The Octette Bridge Club," and the short-lived but notable "Frankenstein."
Moore has maintained a long-standing relationship with the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, where he directed Feydeau's "A Flea In Her Ear," the premiere of "Division Street," Turgenev's "A Month in the Country," "Wild Oats" for the Olympic Arts Festival, "'night Mother," and Ayckbourn's "Henceforward." In Los Angeles, he also directed "Hay Fever" at the Ahmanson Theatre and staged "Once In A Lifetime" as a special benefit for the Los Angeles Classic Theatre Works, where he also directed "The Pentagon Papers." At the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, he directed "Knock Knock," "Hotel Paradiso," "The Little Foxes," and Chekhov's "Three Sisters." In San Francisco, he also directed "The Boys in Autumn," starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. His other directing credits include "Loot" at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis; "Once in a Lifetime" at Arena Stage in Washington D.C.; "Our Town" (with Geraldine Fitzgerald as the stage manager), "Hay Fever," and "The Madwoman of Chaillot" at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts; "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "Fallen Angels" at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego; and "Traveller in the Dark" and "'night Mother" at the American Repertory Theatre in Boston. He has directed two productions of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"—one at La Jolla Playhouse (with Lynn Redgrave) and another featuring Marsha Mason for the premiere production at the Lensic Center for Performing Arts for Santa Fe Stages. Additionally, he directed Brian Friel's adaptation of "A Month in the Country" for Antaeus.
Moore's most recent stage production at the Ahmanson Theatre was "The Royal Family" in Los Angeles, starring Marian Seldes, Kate Mulgrew, George Irving, and Charles Kimbrough. He also directed "When Something Wonderful Ends" at both the Ojai Playwrights Conference and The Humana Festival. His teaching and directing experience includes positions at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Brandeis University, and the University of London, England. Moore served as artistic director of the Peterborough Players in New Hampshire and has lectured at the Seminar in American Studies in Salzburg, Austria. He directed national touring productions of "Grease" and "'night Mother" and presented "'night Mother" at the Spoleto Festival in Italy.
In film, Moore directed "'night Mother," starring Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft. His short film "Journey," produced for the American Film Institute, received two international film awards.
On television, he directed Disney's first original musical for TV, "Geppetto," starring Drew Carey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. His television directing credits include episodes of "ER" (earning an Emmy nomination), "Mad About You" (Emmy nomination), "L.A. Law" (Emmy nomination), "Huff," "Mismatch," "Gilmore Girls," "Ally McBeal," "Felicity," "Late Line," "Nothing Sacred," "Dharma and Greg," "Suddenly Susan," "Something So Right," "Cybill," "Pride and Joy," "Thirtysomething," "The Wonder Years" (the episode "Square Dance," which won the Humanitas Prize), "Almost Grown," "Cheers," "Picket Fences," "Civil Wars," "Northern Exposure," "The Class of '96," "Good Company," "Boston Common," "Maybe It's Me," "The Court," the late-night series "Fridays," and the pilots for "First Years," "50 Minute Man," and "The Flamingo Kid." He also directed the television movies "Maybe Baby" and "Fine Things."
Currently, Moore serves on the executive board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
He was a fellow at the American Film Institute and holds a B.A. from Purdue University and an M.F.A. from the Yale University School of Drama. Purdue University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.
As a personal interest, Moore is involved in Circus Arts and dedicates as much time as possible to flying trapeze.
