Biography

Eric D. Schaeffer is an American theater director and producer based in Arlington, Virginia.

He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Signature Theatre., and is well known nationally for his re-invention of large American musicals for small black box venues. He has produced many of the works of Stephen Sondheim, stating that the Signature production of Sweeney Todd in the 1990-1991 season "put us on the map". Under his leadership, Signature Theatre was chosen to receive the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award.Over its first 21 years, Schaeffer led the Theatre to 70 Helen Hayes Awards and 283 Helen Hayes nominations for outstanding excellence in the theater. He created The American Musical Voices Project and The American Musical Voices Project: The Next Generation, which has awarded over $500,000 in commissions to writers for new American musicals. He has directed on Broadway, West End in London, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and served as the Artistic Director of The Sondheim Celebration at The Kennedy Center in 2002.Schaeffer is a graduate of Kutztown University. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary degree, a Doctor of Humane Letters, from his alma mater.On June 24, 2020, Schaeffer stepped down as Artistic Director of Signature Theatre amid accusations of sexual assault. As reported in The Washington Post, an independent investigation occurred in 2018 that found the allegations to be non-credible and being done for personal financial purposes. However, an article published contemporaneously by DCist documented multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.