John Forsythe has acted and directed for theatres ranging from Chicago to San Francisco, Louisville, Dallas and finally here in Flagstaff. The touring production of Taming of the Shrew he directed for the Chicago Shakespeare Company was named best play of the year in Kalamazoo,
Michigan! Favorite roles include Sydney Carton with City Lit Theatre, Hamlet with Chicago Shakespeare Company and storytelling at the Ray Bradberry Festival. Mr. Forsythe has directed over fifty plays. Favorite projects include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,
pilots of Pasek and Paul’s Dogfight and James and the Giant Peach, and the first amateur production of She Kills Monsters. His adaptations include Lies, Damned Lies and Bad Cigars, an evening with Mark Twain, featuring Mr. Forsythe; Brecht’s Private Life of the Master Race and
The Wedding Party, which he also directed; and most recently Margaret – Rose of the Wars, an adaption distilling the eleven hours of Henry VI parts 1-3 and Richard III into a single, epic two act play. He directed Margaret in October, and is currently preparing the script for publication
and licensing. While preparing to direct Life Sucks, he is also beginning a new adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Mr. Forsythe joined the Theatrikos community two years ago as advisor to the director and Viewpoints coach with The Gods of Comedy. He directed Picasso
at the Lapin Agile in the 2025 season, and is honored to associate direct for Adam Wintz on the 2026 season opener, Clue.
In this brash reworking of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, a group of old friends, ex-lovers, estranged in-laws, and lifelong enemies gather to grapple with life’s thorniest questions—and each other. What could possibly go wrong? Incurably lustful and lonely, hapless and hopeful, these seven souls collide and stumble their way towards a new understanding that LIFE SUCKS! Or does it?