Spiro Veloudos – has directed more than 65 productions at the Lyric Stage, including among his favorites, Nicholas Nickleby, Avenue Q, Assassins, Souvenir, Death of A Salesman, Noises Off, Superior Donuts, and Into the Woods. His widely acclaimed Sondheim initiative had him directing ten Sondheim productions over twenty seasons. During his tenure, the Lyric Stage earned numerous awards and honors including Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Musical Production. In addition to his numerous Best Director IRNE and Elliot Norton Awards, Spiro received the 2006 Elliott Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence, the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award from Salem State College, the StageSource Theatre Hero Award (2003), and was named Best Artistic Director by Boston Magazine in 1999.