Alan is the Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA. In 2023, he made his BSC directing debut with Cabaret, which won eight Berkshire Theatre Critics Awards. In 2024, Alan will direct Next to Normal at Barrington Stage Company.

Alan served as Associate Artistic Director of the Tony Award winning Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. where he worked from 2007 to 2022. Alan’s shows at STC bridged the gap between classical and popular culture. His productions of Camelot, Kiss Me Kate, and Man of La Mancha are some of the theater’s highest grossing productions, and Camelot won the Helen Hayes Award for Best Musical. Alan received acclaim for his bold interpretations of Shakespeare, including a modern-dress Romeo and Juliet and The Comedy of Errors set in 1960s Greece. Alan directed the film of Patrick Page’s All The Devils Are Here, which was a New York Times Critic’s Pick and seen widely across America.

Alan is particularly dedicated to new work and has spent much of his career developing new plays and musicals. At STC, Alan commissioned Lauren Gunderson to write a feminist adaptation of Peter Pan and Wendy which premiered in 2019. He brought in significant musical theater composers such as Michael John LaChiusa, Daniel Kluger, and Jenny Giering to compose scores for his productions.

Along with his work at STC, Alan has directed productions at theaters across the country including Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, Chicago’s Drury Lane Theatre, and at almost very top D.C. theater including Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Studio Theatre, and Round House Theatre.

Alan has a passion for classical music and works regularly at The Kennedy Center. He directed the world premiere of Penny for the Washington National Opera, the premiere of Fire and Air at the Terrace Theater, and is a frequent guest with the National Symphony Orchestra. He recently directed John Williams 90th Birthday Celebration at the NSO with Steven Spielberg, YoYo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Daisy Ridley. Opera highlights include productions at Palm Beach Opera, Portland Opera, Urban Arias, and Strathmore Concert Hall. In 2013, Alan was the only American finalist for the European Opera Directing Prize in Vienna, Austria.

Alan has directed many concerts and special events with artists such as Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Renee Fleming, and Angela Bassett, and public figures including President Bill Clinton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Alan has been nominated for five Helen Hayes Awards and was awarded Best Director in 2014. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.