David Saar is the founder and artistic director of Childsplay in Tempe, Ariz. He has directed and taught for Childsplay since the company was formed in 1977. Among the many productions he has directed for Childsplay, favorites include Still Life with Iris, A Year with Frog and Toad, Pero or the Mystery of the Night, Afternoon of the Elves, Cyrano and, always, the show he is currently working on. Saar also directed The Origins of Happiness in Latin for Arizona Theatre Company, Charlotte's Web, The Yellow Boat and Tomas and the Library Lady for Seattle Children's Theatre, and The BFG for the Chicago Theatre for Young Audiences. In 1989 he received the Governor's Arts Award for his contributions to the arts in Arizona, in 1991 he was the recipient of the national Winifred Ward Dare to Dream Fellowship, and in 1993 he received the Phoenix Futures Forum's Dream Weavers Vision Award. In 2002, he received the first Notable Achievement Award from the Herberger College of Fine Arts at Arizona State University. In March 2007, he was awarded the prestigious Thomas DeGaetani Award from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). In 2009, he was recognized for outstanding contributions to theatre in Arizona by the National Society of Arts and Letters, and in August 2010, he received the prestigious Medallion Award from the Children's Theatre Foundation to honor artistic excellence and Childsplay's national influence during its 33-year history.
