Eric Schaeffer (Artistic Director)
is the co-founder and artistic director of Signature Theatre. Eric's directing credits at Signature Theatre include: The Highest Yellow, One Red Flower, Allegro (2005 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical and Director), Twentieth Century, 110 In The Shade, The Christmas Carol Rag, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Gospel According to Fishman, Grand Hotel, Putting It Together, The Rhythm Club, Over & Over, You're Going to Love Tomorrow: A Stephen Sondheim Evening, The Fix (American premiere), Working, Taking My Life in Your Hands, Cabaret, First Lady Suite, Wings, Poor Superman, Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, and the Sondheim musicals Pacific Overtures, Follies, Sunday in the Park with George (Arena Stage co-production), Passion (1997 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical and Director), Into the Woods (1995 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical), Company, Assassins (1993 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical and Director), and Sweeney Todd (1992 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical and Director). In addition, Eric has created and directed concert productions of Company, The Rink and Mack & Mabel for Signature in the Park at Arlington's Lubber Run Amphitheater.

Eric's Broadway credits include Putting It Together, big (first national tour) and Sweet Adeline, City Center Encore! Great American Musicals in Concert. In London, he made his West End debut with The Witches of Eastwick at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane & Prince of Wales theatres. Regional credits include Putting It Together with Carol Burnett at the Mark Taper Forum and Elmer Gantry at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theater in Chicago. Eric has won four Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Direction along with 21 additional nominations. His musical productions have received six Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Musical. Eric's artistic leadership has been recognized by the Elizabeth Campbell Award for Arts in Arlington, the Arlington School Board Honored Citizen Award, the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, and the Professional Mentor Prize from Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Eric was named a Washingtonian of the Year in 2002.

Eric served as the artistic director for the highly acclaimed Sondheim Celebration at The Kennedy Center in 2002. The following summer he founded Overtures, Signature’s Musical Theatre Institute housed at The Kennedy Center. Recently he directed a new stage musical version of Snow White for Disney's Fantasyland Theatre, Kathie Lee Gifford's off-Broadway musical Under the Bridge, and the national tour of Barbie Live in Fairytopia.  Upcoming projects include a co-production of Meet John Doe with Goodspeed Musicals and Ford's Theatre. Eric holds a B.F.A. from Kutztown University and has done extended studies at Crewe and Alsager College of Visual Arts, Crewe, England.