AZJL_Mar13

[ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT]
By Janet Arnold
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, “e
Music Man.” David won the
role of Mayor Shinn, and his
career took o from there.
“My shul is a bit famous,”
David adds, “not because of
‘e 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
eatre Company, David
looked back at his entrée
into the theater world with
a nostalgic grin. e 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 ne 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 ne 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.
46 MARCH 2013 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE
From Shul
to Stage
David was associate
artistic director at Actors
eatre 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 coming
to Arizona eatre
Company, he was associate
artistic director at
ACT eatre in Seattle.
In 1992, he had come
to Tucson to direct “Other
People’s Money” for
Arizona eatre Company
when he was asked if
he’d like to apply for the
position of artistic director
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, including
acclaimed appearances by the Royal National eatre of Great
Britain and the eatre 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 o his bucket list: to
direct “Fiddler on the Roof.” “With such a terric book and won-
After catching the theater bug as a teen, David Ira
Goldstein grew up to lead Arizona Theatre Company
The Sunshine Boys
PRESENTED BY: Arizona Theatre Company
WHEN: March 2-23 in Tucson, March 28-April 14 in Phoenix
WHERE: Temple of Fine Arts, 330 S. Scott Ave., Tucson
Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe, Phoenix
DETAILS: arizonatheatre.org