Native of Odesa, Ukraine, Yuri (Yura) Kordonsky holds M.F.A. degrees in both Acting and Directing from the St. Petersburg State Academy of Theatre Arts in Russia, where he studied under renowned director Lev Dodin. He also holds an MS in Applied Mathematics and Computer Studies from Odesa State University and an M.A. Ad Eundem Gradum from Wesleyan University. He has taught, performed, and directed internationally since 1989. From 1989-2001, he was a resident actor and director at the renowned Maly Drama Theatre-Theatre of Europe in St. Petersburg.
His directing credits include his original play Disappearance and The House of Bernarda Alba by Lorca (Maly Drama Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia); Uncle Vanya by Chekhov, The Marriage by Gogol, Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, and Bury Me Under the Baseboard by Pavel Sanaev (Bulandra Theatre, Bucharest, Romania); The Lower Depths by M. Gorky (Theatre d’Esch, Luxembourg); The Encounter (UNESCO ITI Congress, Manila, Philippines); Fatherlessness by Chekhov (Orkeny Szinhaz, Budapest); Last Day of Youth by Tadeusz Konwicki (National Theatre “Radu Stanca”, Sibiu, Romania); The Seagull by Chekhov and Erendira by Marquez (German National Theatre, Timisoara, Romania); Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare (National Theatre Bucharest, Romania); The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov (National Hungarian Theatre, Cluj, Romania); Peer Gynt by Ibsen, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and The Bald Soprano by Ionesco (Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT); A Diary of a Madman by Gogol (West End Theater, Gloucester, MA); Canterbury Tales by Chaucer (Riverside Theater, New York), and The Inspector by Gogol (Yale Rep Theatre, US), among others.
Yura’s productions have won numerous international awards, including the Golden Light, Governor’s Award, and Bravo Award for Best Production (Russia); the Union of European Theatres’ Award for Best Production (Italy); UNITER Awards for Best Production and Best Director (Romania); and the Special Prize of the Romanian Ministry of Culture.
As a performer and director, Yura has toured in more than twenty countries and taught acting and directing in Russia, Germany, Spain, Philippines, China, Italy, and Romania. Since moving to the US in 2001 with his family, he has taught at Wesleyan University — where he served as Professor and Chair of the Theater Department — as well as at Columbia University, UC San Diego, George Washington University, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.