Sammy Zeisel is a director, filmmaker, and teacher residing in Brooklyn, NY. Last year, he completed his MFA in Directing at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, where he was awarded the Julian Milton Kaufman Memorial Prize for excellence in directing. At Yale, Sammy developed and directed new plays as well as reimagined classics, including Annie Baker’s translation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya and his own adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. He has assisted directors including Les Waters, Steve Cosson, Lee Sunday Evans, Jessica Thebus, and Meredith McDonough, and has worked with institutions such as The Civilians, Rattlestick Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Recent work includes The Undercity, an original wordless puppet piece about a rat metropolis (Culture Lab LIC); The Seagull at Quinnipiac University; and a workshop of Tremolo, Regan Moro’s queer reimagining of The Seagull (Fault Line Theatre’s Irons in the Fire Series). His short films have screened at festivals across the country, winning awards including Best Chicago Director at the Windy City International Film Festival. Upcoming projects include Abby Paj Tries to Stay Alive with the Neo-Futurists in Chicago and Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure, a new puppet musical by La Daniella, premiering at The Bushwick Starr this winter. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University and was the Directing Fellow at Rattlestick Theater 2025/26. In the fall, he will be teaching in the Design and Playwriting departments at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. Website: sammyzeisel.com.