Lee Sunday Evans is a two-time Obie Award-winning and Lucille Lortel Award-winning director and choreographer, known for directing productions of A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest Lakes and Oratorio for Living Things Off-Broadway. She is Artistic Director of Waterwell.
Early life Evans grew up in Denver, Colorado and, later, Port Washington, New York. She attended college in Boston, and worked as a House Manager part-time at American Repertory Theatre, where she saw a production of Oedipus Rex directed by Robert Woodruff that she cited as an artistic inspiration.
Career Evans has worked for theatres such as The Public Theater, Lincoln Center, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and Playwrights Horizons and for festivals such as the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, BAM Next Wave Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, and the Humana Festival. She has a background in modern and contemporary dance, and has also choreographed productions.
In 2015, Evans received her first Obie Award for her direction of the New York City Center Off-Broadway production of A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest Lakes by Kate Benson. The production was notable for its experimentation, featuring two commentators calling the play's actions while in a suspended glass booth above the story of a family's Thanksgiving dinner.
That same year, she also directed D Deb Debbie Deborah by Jerry Lieblich at Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks Festival, and the next year, Caught at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. She followed this in 2017 with directing Bull in a China Shop by Christopher Chen at Lincoln Center Theatre Off-Broadway. For the latter three, she was honored with the Susan Stroman Directing Award from Vineyard Theatre.
Other notable credits are the Off-Broadway premieres of [PORTO] at WP Theater, The Winter's Tale at The Public Theater, and Dance Nation, which she also choreographer. For the latter, Evans received a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director, along with nomination for Outstanding Choreographer and her second Obie Award win.
In 2018, Evan was named Artistic Director of Waterwell. In 2019, through her new role, she directed The Courtoom by Arian Moayed at Waterwell, which depicts a deportation hearing in real-time, based on real-life legal transcripts. The play was presented in an active courtroom on the 17th floor of the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse. It was later adapted by Moayed into a feature film, directed by Evans, featuring Kristin Villanueva, Kathleen Chalfant, Michael Chernus and B.D. Wong, which premiered in 2022.
Other notable credits include Grace McLean's chamber musical, In the Green at Lincoln Center Theatre Off-Broadway, as well as two productions of Heather Christian's Oratorio for Living Things. For her direction of the latter, she won her third Obie Award, and was nominated for two Drama League Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award for direction.
In 2025, it was announced that Evans would be directing a Broadway-bound musical version of A Wrinkle in Time at Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage.
Theatre work +YearWorkRoleVenueRef2015D Deb Debbie DeborahDirectorOff-Broadway, Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks FestivalA Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest LakesDirectorOff-Broadway, New York City Center2016CaughtDirectorOff-Broadway, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club2017Bull in a China ShopDirectorOff-Broadway, Lincoln Center TheatreThe Winter's TaleDirectorOff-Broadway, The Public Theater2018[PORTO]DirectorOff-Broadway, WP TheaterDance NationDirector, ChoreographerOff-Broadway, Playwrights Horizons2019The CourtroomDirectorOff-Broadway, Judson Memorial ChurchIn the GreenDirectorOff-Broadway, Lincoln Center TheatreSundayDirector, ChoreographerOff-Broadway, Atlantic Theatre Company2020Riddle of the TrilobitesDirectorOff-Broadway, New Victory TheatreOratorio for Living ThingsDirectorOff-Broadway, Greenwich House Theatre2023FoodCo-directorOff-Broadway, Brooklyn Academy of MusicA Good Day to Me Not to YouDirectorOff-Broadway, Connelly Theater2024Munich MedeaDirectorOff-Broadway, WP Theater2024The PoisonerDirectorOff-Broadway, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club2024Safety Not GuaranteedDirectorOff-Broadway, Brooklyn Academy of Music2025Oratorio for Living ThingsDirectorOff-Broadway, Signature Theatre Company2025A Wrinkle in TimeDirectorWashington, D.C., Arena Stage
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef. 2015Obie AwardDistinguished DirectionA Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest Lakes 2016Susan Stroman Directing AwardVineyard Theatre2017Stage Directors and Choreographers Society AwardBreakout Award)2019Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding DirectorDance NationOutstanding ChoreographerObie AwardSpecial Citation2022Drama League AwardOutstanding Direction of a MusicalOratorio for Living Things2023Obie AwardSpecial Citation2026Drama League AwardOutstanding Direction of a MusicalOuter Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Direction of a Musical
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