Victor Malana Maog
Victor Malana Maog, named one of American Theatre Magazine’s inaugural “People to Watch,” is a nationally recognized director whose work ranges from critically acclaimed plays and musicals, to large-scale festivals, live events, and spectaculars.
Born in the Philippines during a period of Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law and experiencing live theatre when his grandmother brought him to epic religious pageants in the provinces, Maog first came into visibility in 2004 when he was one of six directors in the United States to receive the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Career Development Award.
In the last few seasons, he’s helmed a reimagined A Midsummer Night’s Dream starring Jacob Ming-Trent for the Folger Theatre, performed on a replica of an Elizabethan Playhouse built within the National Building Museum; staged a critically-acclaimed production of West Side Story at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago; participated in the 22nd annual 24 Hour Plays On Broadway – Live at Town Hall – featuring Anthony Edwards & Mo Rocca; directed a seven-episode Play On podcast series of Shakespeare’s Othello in a modern translation by Mfoniso Udofia with Jeremy Tardy and Kayli Carter; and was the Creative Director of An Evening with Alan Menken with special guest Lin-Manuel Miranda, a virtual fundraiser for the Walt Disney Family Museum.
He has also directed and developed work at the American Conservatory Theater, Public Theater, Magic Theatre, Williamstown Theater Festival, Hartford Stage, Page 73, Signature Theatre Company, Mabou Mines, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Theatreworks Silicon Valley, Working Theater, National Black Theatre, The Lark, and New Dramatists and was a lead director for ABC/Disney’s Casting Project. He’s directed such actors such as Jeremy Strong, Corey Hawkins, Steve Kazee, Ming-Na, Daniel Dae Kim, Marian Seldes, Nana Mensah, Bebe Neuwirth, William Jackson Harper, and David Cross. From 2016-18, he was a full-time Show Director for Disney Parks Live Entertainment, conceiving, directing, and line producing large-scale shows, live events, and spectaculars for millions of visitors world-wide.
He’s the recipient of the Paula Alvater Fellowship at Cornerstone Theater Company, the Van Lier Directing Fellowship at NYC’s 2econd Stage Theatre, & Sweet Briar Fellowship at Virginia Center for Creative Arts (VCCA); a member of Lincoln Center Theatre Director’s Lab; and, since 2002, a proud member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC).
He attended New York University’s Gallatin School and studied Global Leadership and Performance Studies and is currently a Professor of Acting at Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD).