My Approach to Directing:

My first responsibility as a director is to attend deeply to the intention and vision of the playwright, and then collaborate closely with the rest of the creative team to bring them into that world. It is my unique responsibility to balance all the aspects of the production in order to assure that we respect the script, tell the story, and create the best possible world for the play to inhabit. Once this world has been envisioned, I need to make sure the actors know how to embody their characters and behave in this play-world. It is essential I empower those who are actually stepping onto the stage to do their best, most-connected, and most-expressive work. Below is a sampling of recent directorial efforts: Peter and the Starcatcher; A Doll’s House, Part 2; A Wrinkle in Time; Mr. Burns, a post-electric play; and Top Girls.

Peter and the Starcatcher

Rick Elise

Clarence Brown Theatre

Acting Ensemble: Charles Pasternak (Black Stache), Jason Edward Cook (Boy), Ellen Nickbakht (Molly), David Brian Alley (Smee), Terry Weber (Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher), Doug James (Alf), Jeff Dickamore (Lord Astor), Aaron Orlov (Slank, Hawking Clam), Jude Vincent (Fighting Clam), Parker Jenkins (Teddy), Jackson Burnette (Prentiss), Mark Jennings (Captain Scott), Keegan Tucker (Mack/Sanchez)

Creative Team: Director/Choreographer, Casey Sams; Music Director, Terry Silver-Alford; Scenic Design, Chris Pickart; Costume Design, Erin Reed; Lighting Design, Kenton Yeager; Sound Design, Matt Nielsen

"Loaded with physical comedy, one liners and spot-on casting, “Starcatcher” directed by Casey Sams is for anyone age 10 and older. It’s as complete a production as I’ve seen at the Clarence Brown Theater." Amy McRary, Knoxville News Sentinel.

"The magic of the work—and of this energetic, virtually balletic production directed by Casey Sams—is its willingness to unapologetically embrace that childlike whimsy without foregoing a reasonably complex narrative style that intrigues adults.... However, one must inevitably return to praise the ensemble quality of this production. It’s flow and accuracy, its rhythm and punctuation, gives Peter and the Starcatcher its life and its heartbeat." Alan Sherrod, Arts Knoxville.

A Doll’s House, Part 2

Lucas Hnath

Flying Anvil Theatre

Acting Ensemble: Linda High (Anne Marie), Nancy Duckles (Nora), John Ferguson (Torvald), Maddie Poeta (Emmy)

Creative/Design Team: Director, Casey Sams; Scenic Design, Chris Pickart; Costume Design, Liz Aaron; Lighting Design, Jordan Vera

“In the current exceptional production by Flying Anvil Theatre and DuckEars Theatre, director Casey Sams has guided a superb cast of four through Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2, painting an Ibsen-esque facade that peels away revealing some very modern roots.” Alan Sherrod, Arts Knoxville.

“Flying Anvil’s production of “A Doll’s House, Part 2” is satisfying on so many levels, it may be the best experience you are likely to have at the theater this year. Don’t miss it!” Harold Duckett, KnoxTNToday

A Wrinkle In Time

John Glore, from the novel by Madeline L'Engle

Roundhouse Theatre

Acting Ensemble: Erin Weaver (Meg Murry), Dawn Ursula (Mrs. Murry and others), Tonya Beckman Ross (Mrs. Whatsit and others), Davis Hasty (Calvin), KenYatta Rogers (Mr. Murry and others), Jacob Land and Edward Stockman (Charles Wallace)

Creative Team: Director, Casey Sams; Assistant Director, Matthew Bassett; Scenic Design; Misha Kachman, Costume Design; Helen Q. Huang, Lighting Design; Kenton Yeager, Sound Design/Composition; Matthew M. Nielsen, Projection Design; JJ Kaczynski and Erik Trester

"Under the direction of Casey Sams, playwright John Glore's streamlined but faithful adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's children's classic rockets through quirky, Elysian and sinister landscapes, tracing a subtle affirmation of the value of individuality and the power of awe and love." Celia Wren, Washington Post.

"Director Casey Sams keeps the action light with a comic, playful touch...." Debbie Minter Jackson, DC Theatre Scene.

Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play

Anne Washburn

The Lab Theatre of the Clarence Brown

Acting Ensemble: Robert Parker Jenkins (Matt/Homer), Ellen Nikbakht (Jenny/Itchy), Lauren Winder (Maria/Lisa), Benjamin Pratt (Sam/Scratchy), Melissa David (Colleen/Bart), Ethan Roeder (Gibson, Mr. Burns), Hannah Jones (Quincy/Marge), Emily Helton (Mrs. Krabappel/Chorus)

Creative/Design Team: Director/Choreographer, Casey Sams; Musical Director, Terry Silver-Alford; Scenic Design, Christoper Pickart; Costume Design, Victor Bercher; Lighting Design, Maranda DeBusk; Sound Design, Alex Ross; Dramaturg, Kerri Ann Considine

“If you don’t see the play for anything else, see it for the third act. It is bold, unsettling and incredibly well executed. It is reminiscent of ancient Greek tragedies and will have you sitting in your chair wondering about the future of our society.” Katrina Roberts, The Daily Beacon.

Top Girls

Carol Churchill

The Lab Theatre of the Clarence Brown

Acting Ensemble: Gracie Belt (Lady Nijo, Angie), Emily Helton (Isabella Bird, Joyce, Mrs. Kidd), Alyssa Miller (Waitress, Jeanine, Nell) Celleste Pelletier (Dull Gret, Kit, Shona), Danielle Pressley (Pope Joan, Louise), Meg Sutherland (Marlene), Chauncey Whitlock (Patient Griselda, Win)

Creative/Design Team: Director, Casey Sams; Scenic Design, Jelena Andzic; Costume Design, Devon O’Neil; Lighting Design, Jordan Vera; Sound Design/Composer, Mike Ponder; Text/Dialect Coach, Abigail Langham; Dramaturg, Kerri Ann Considine

“While the play goes along with the modern trend of fast-talking, the most chilling and somber moments of the play were in the moments of absolute silence….” Courtney Whited, the Daily Beacon.