Craig Slaight

Who is Craig Slaight?

Craig Slaight is an American director and author. He is the director of the Young Conservatory at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California. In 1989 he created the "New Plays" program to develop new stage plays that showed the world through the voice of the young. Slaight's feeling was that there was a shortage and a need for contemporary work by professional renowned playwrights that spoke to and about the young actor. He sought out work class playwrights and commissioned them to create new work. The playwrights would develop these plays at ACT and the students would be part of the shaping process. As of 2006 there have been dozens of plays and four anthologies published and available to young actors worldwide. In 1999 Slaight commissioned playwright Timothy Mason to write "Time on Fire" which was the first production by a young American company to ever play the National Theatre in London. In 1994 Craig received the President's Award from the Educational Theater Association for outstanding contributions to youth theater.

In addition to the New Plays series, Slaight has published, along with Jack Sharrar, ten acting and play anthologies for young actors through Smith and Kraus one of the nation's leading play services.