Award-Winning Stage Director | Broadway Performer | NYU Steinhardt Professor

Lee Summers is an award-winning stage director, educator, and Broadway performer whose work spans Broadway, regional theatre, concert performance, opera, and the development of new musicals. A two-time AUDELCO Award-winning director, he is recognized for creating actor-centered productions that combine emotional truth with compelling musical storytelling.

His directing credits include the AUDELCO Award-winning productions of Ella, First Lady of Song, starring Freda Payne, and On Kentucky Avenue, for which he also received an AUDELCO nomination as Best Supporting Actor while directing the production. His production of Hair received the BroadwayWorld Hawaii Award for Best Musical. Additional directing credits include From My Hometown, Winds of Change—which he self-directed and which received the Bistro Award—and numerous workshops, readings, concerts, and premiere productions of new musicals.

Known for his work developing new musicals, Summers has collaborated with writers, composers, lyricists, and performers to shape original works from early readings through fully realized productions. Since 2022, he has served as a director for the Berklee NYC Musical Theater Writing Program, where he has directed ten premiere thesis presentations, helping bring original musicals from the page to the stage.

A dedicated educator, Summers has taught Acting for Singers at New York University Steinhardt for seven years and has also served as acting coach for NYU Steinhardt opera productions. Whether directing Broadway veterans, emerging professionals, or student artists, he creates collaborative rehearsal rooms where actors, singers, and writers are empowered to take creative risks and deliver truthful, compelling performances.