Marcia Milgrom Dodge (born April 28, 1955) is an American director, choreographer and stage writer. After working in regional theatre, Dodge directed and choreographed her first Broadway production, a revival of Ragtime in 2009. The production received four Helen Hayes Awards in 2010, including one for Best Director, and received 7 Tony Award nominations including one for Dodge for Best Director of a Musical.
Early years
Dodge was born in Detroit, Michigan, grew up in Southfield, Michigan and attended Vandenberg and Adlai Stevenson Elementary Schools and Birney Junior High graduating from Southfield-Lathrup High School in 1973. As a child, she took dance lessons at the Julie Adler School of Dance in Oak Park, Michigan. She is the daughter of Myron and Jacqueline Milgrom, and her sisters are Carole Lesser, Paula Milgrom and Marianne Milgrom Bloomberg. Dodge received her degree in Speech Communication and Theatre at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbour, graduating in 1977. Upon graduation, Dodge moved to New York City pursuing a career as a choreographer.
Director/Choreographer
Dodge is the director/choreographer of the 2009 Kennedy Centre and Broadway revival of the musical Ragtime. The Guardian noted Dodge's "impassioned staging" of Ragtime. Peter Marks in an article summing up the fate of the Ragtime revival, noted: "Marcia Milgrom Dodge, the director-choreographer...came up with a sleekly beautiful concept for a show with a complex, interwoven narrative about blacks, Jews and white Anglo-Saxons in New York at the turn of the 20th century." She is the "first woman to direct a major musical produced by the Kennedy Centre." The Kennedy Centre production of Ragtime was nominated for six 2010 Helen Hayes Awards and won four: Outstanding Resident Musical (Winner); Outstanding Director, Resident Musical: Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Winner); Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production: James Moore; Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical: Quentin Earl Dorrington; Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical: Christiane Noll (Winner); Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production: Santo Loquats & Jim Halliday (Winners). The Broadway transfer of the production was honoured with 7 Tony nominations including one for Dodge for Best Direction.
In New York, Dodge was the Associate Choreographer for the Broadway musical High Society (1998). Off Broadway she was the choreographer for Life is Not A Doris Day Movie (1982), Romance Language (1984), Romance in Hard Times (Public Theatre 1989), Closer Than Ever (1989), The Waves (1990), The Loman Family Picnic (Manhattan Theatre Club 1993), director/choreographer for Radio Gals (John Houseman Theatre, 1996), Seussical for Theatre works USA (Lucille Nortel Theatre) (2007) (receiving a Lucille Nortel Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography) and consultant for Cooking (Monette Lane Theatre, 2004).
In regional theatre: In 2012, Dodge directed & choreographed Hello, Dolly! at the Malts Jupiter Theatre starring Vicki Lewis and Gary Beach. She directed Mark Brown's Around The World In 80 Days for Pittsburgh Public Theatre, then a new production of The Music Man for Glimmerglass Festival.
In 2011, Dodge travelled to Frederician, Denmark to direct and choreograph The Three Musketeers at the Frederica Teaser by George Stiles, Peter Raby, Paul Leigh and Francis Matthews, Cabaret and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles, the Bay Street Theatre, Sag Harbour, NY, productions of Simeon's Gift, The Who's Tommy, Once On This Island, and Hair and director of Fit To Print. At the Riverside Theatre, Vero Beach, Florida she was the director/choreographer for, Dames at Sea, Anything Goes, Evita, and the director of Blithe Spirit. She has directed and/or choreographed many productions at the Music Circus, Sacramento, California, including The Unsinkable Molly Brown, with Susan Egan, South Pacific with Kerry O'Malley (2006) and Guys and Dolls (2009) with Gary Beach.
World premieres include Knight Life: The Girl Who would Be King by Robert Sternean, Prudence Fraser & Jeff Barry (Riverside Theatre); Rupert Holmes' Thumbs starring Kathie Lee Gifford and Diana Canova (Helen Hayes Theatre Company); Cooking''' (New Victory, Monette Lane, South Korea and International Tour); One Foot On The Floor by Jeffrey Hatcher (also conceived, Denver Centre Theatre Co.); Off-Key by Bill C. Davis and Richard Adler (George Street Playhouse); Elmer Gantry by John Bishop, Mel Marvin & Robert Satu off (Linola Playhouse) and Casino Paradise by William Bloom & Arnold Weinstein (American Music Theatre Festival).