Stephen Lloyd Helper
Writer in Residence

Stephen Lloyd Helper is a playwright, director, and producer. In Spoleto he will be developing a new work derived from the 14th century Ambrogio Lorenzetti frescos The Allegory of Good and Bad Government (Allegoria ed effetti del Buono e del Cattivo Governo) on the walls of the Palazzo Publico in Siena. He writes: “They were commissioned to daily-inspire good government in political leaders creating a harmonious, ethical society and as a graphic reminder of the destructive harm bad government incurs on citizens. A striking feature of these frescoes is how dramatic they are: filled with characters living in joy and contentment on one wall and in pain and despair on the other, presided over by Justice in a third fresco. They have interlocking stories I want to extrapolate, bring to life in three dimensions, with emotional complexity. I am devoted to these frescoes because they send an urgent message to us today, as much as they have for some 700 years.”

Helper began his career on Broadway. As assistant director, he worked with Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, Joseph Stein, and Richard Maltby Jr. on seven Broadway shows. Robbins tapped him to direct Fiddler on the Roof’ for Broadway where it was nominated for Best Revival, and then at the Sydney Opera House (SOH) with Opera Australia. A move to Sydney lead to conceiving, directing and producing major productions around the country, many at the SOH. Devoted to creating original work addressing crucial contemporary issues, his ‘Café Rebetika!’ deals with immigration through the underworld of the Greek blues, ‘The new Black, Black Electric, The Adventures of Namakili’ are deeply personal collaborations with Aboriginal theatre artists on their lives, ‘Simply Weill’ dramatizes capitalism as seen through Kurt Weill’s multi-focal lens, and overcoming cross-cultural divides in ‘Syncopation’ which continues to hold the record as the most successful production of a new play in Australian history touring some 44 theaters. Amidst this, he returned to Broadway as co-conceiver of the Broadway smash, ‘Smokey Joe’s Café’, Broadway’s longest running musical revue ever (4 1⁄2 years). Currently he is developing ‘Slippin’ Through the Cracks’ with multi-Grammy winning bluesman Bobby Rush, for Broadway; his play ‘Up and Down’ has attracted Isabella Rossellini and director Sir Richard Eyre for a production.