PHIL

George Saunders

Author of The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil

GEORGE SAUNDERS is the author of thirteen books, including the novel Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the Man Booker Prize, and five collections of stories including Tenth of December, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. His more recent novel, Vigil, was selected by former President Obama as one of his ten favorite books of 2026. Three of Saunders’ books—Pastoralia, Tenth of December, and Lincoln in the Bardo—were chosen for the New York Times’ list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Saunders hosts the popular Story Club on Substack, which grew out of his book in the Russian short story, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. In 2013, he was named one of the world's 100 Most Influential People by Time magazine, and in 2025 he received the National Book Foundation's 2025 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse University. 

John Collins

Director

JOHN COLLINS (Director) founded Elevator Repair Service in 1991. He has directed or co-directed all of the company’s productions while also serving as artistic director. Productions at The Public include: Gatz, Ulysses, Arguendo, Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge, Measure for Measure. Collins is a Guggenheim Fellow, a United States Artists Fellow, and a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award recipient.

Elevator Repair Service

ELEVATOR REPAIR SERVICE (ERS) is a New York City–based company that creates original works for live theater with an ongoing ensemble. The company’s shows are created from a wide range of sources that include literature, found texts, film and video, transcripts of hearings and debates, classical dramas, and new plays. Founded in 1991, ERS has created an extensive body of work and built a loyal following, becoming one of New York’s most highly acclaimed experimental theater companies. The company is best known for Gatz, its award-winning verbatim staging of the entire text of The Great Gatsby. ERS most recently staged James Joyce’s Ulysses, which premiered at the Fisher Center at Bard in 2024 and had a sold-out, extended run at The Public in 2026. ERS has received numerous awards and distinctions, including Lortel awards, a Bessie award, and an OBIE award for Sustained Excellence, as well as a Guggenheim Fellowship, a United States Artists Fellowship, and a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award for Artistic Director John Collins.