WHO'S HOLIDAY
(THE HIVE COLLABORATIVE, 2025)
scenic and lighting design: Eric Morris
costume design: Suzie Juul
photos: Rue 42 Photography
"This show feels like a bunch of friends got together and put on a show, in the best possible way. Max and Kim are a dream team, and have created something that's so fun and playful, raunchy and sweet. It's a laugh-a-minute show, that may also bring a tear to your eye... [a] wild party with unexpected poignancy... The casting of #TCTheater favorite Kim Kivens as a grown-up Cindy Lou Who was either a brilliant choice by director Max Wojtanowicz, or the biggest no-brainer ever. She looks the part, she's hilarious, and she can sing (comedically). This one-hour show is just the perfect dessert at the end of a great year of theater." -- Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon
costume design: Suzie Juul
photos: Rue 42 Photography
"This show feels like a bunch of friends got together and put on a show, in the best possible way. Max and Kim are a dream team, and have created something that's so fun and playful, raunchy and sweet. It's a laugh-a-minute show, that may also bring a tear to your eye... [a] wild party with unexpected poignancy... The casting of #TCTheater favorite Kim Kivens as a grown-up Cindy Lou Who was either a brilliant choice by director Max Wojtanowicz, or the biggest no-brainer ever. She looks the part, she's hilarious, and she can sing (comedically). This one-hour show is just the perfect dessert at the end of a great year of theater." -- Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon
ANYONE CAN WHISTLE: IN CONCERT
(MINNEAPOLIS MUSICAL THEATRE, 2025)
lighting design: Sarah Bauer
photos: Molly Jay
"It's a lot of fun to watch in this concert version with a super talented (and mostly new-to-me) cast under the direction of Max Wojtanowicz, with a small but mighty on-stage band... MMT was wise to tap musical theater historian Max Wojtanowicz as director, [who] gets great performances from this terrific 12-person cast." -- Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon
"With a cast that clearly understands the material and a direction that highlights the show's strengths, MMT’s Anyone Can Whistle is a must-see for anyone who appreciates musical theater that dares to be different... The stripped-down approach forces you to engage with the material in a way you might not if you were distracted by a flashy set. The result is a fresh, raw look at a show that, while it may have flopped on Broadway in 1964, still manages to feel startlingly relevant today." -- Jared Fessler of Broadway World Minneapolis
photos: Molly Jay
"It's a lot of fun to watch in this concert version with a super talented (and mostly new-to-me) cast under the direction of Max Wojtanowicz, with a small but mighty on-stage band... MMT was wise to tap musical theater historian Max Wojtanowicz as director, [who] gets great performances from this terrific 12-person cast." -- Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon
"With a cast that clearly understands the material and a direction that highlights the show's strengths, MMT’s Anyone Can Whistle is a must-see for anyone who appreciates musical theater that dares to be different... The stripped-down approach forces you to engage with the material in a way you might not if you were distracted by a flashy set. The result is a fresh, raw look at a show that, while it may have flopped on Broadway in 1964, still manages to feel startlingly relevant today." -- Jared Fessler of Broadway World Minneapolis
SIGNIFICANT OTHER (LYRIC ARTS, 2025)
scenic design: Michaela Lochen
costume design: Samantha Fromm Haddow
lighting design: Lucas Granholm
photos: Molly Jay
"Lyric Arts ... has found the perfect director, design team, and cast to put their stamp on this well-written play... If you've seen #TCTheater artist Max Wojtanowicz's auto-biographical musical Fruit Fly, chronicling his lifelong best-friendship with fellow #TCTheater artist Sheena Janson Kelley, you'll understand why Max was the perfect choice to direct this show. The joys and complications of a close friendship between a gay man and a straight woman are the focus of both shows. Not only does Max treat the subject matter with respect, humor, and heart, but he also adeptly navigates the tricky structure of the script, with scenes flowing from one to the next with nary a breath in between." -- Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon
"Lyric Arts is producing a wonderful, humorous, heartfelt play called Significant Other, by Joshua Harmon... Max Wojtanowicz directs this lovely play that holds within it a full range of emotions that reflect the human experience. He brings those hard conversations out in a tender way that could be too much, or too harsh, if not delivered with a loving touch." -- Mary Aalgard of Play Off The Page
"This production is directed by Max Wojtanowicz with care. He allows his actors to find their characters and trusts that the humor will work all the better for it." -- Rob Dunkelberger of The Stages of MN
"Director Max Wojtanowicz, a beloved member of the Twin Cities theatre community, directs this production with clear care and understanding for the script's emotional weight. Balancing sharp humor with gutting monologues is no easy task, but Wojtanowicz keeps the pacing crisp and the tone honest. The result is a show that feels both entertaining and emotional in equal measure." -- Althea Forsner of Beyond the Curtains
costume design: Samantha Fromm Haddow
lighting design: Lucas Granholm
photos: Molly Jay
"Lyric Arts ... has found the perfect director, design team, and cast to put their stamp on this well-written play... If you've seen #TCTheater artist Max Wojtanowicz's auto-biographical musical Fruit Fly, chronicling his lifelong best-friendship with fellow #TCTheater artist Sheena Janson Kelley, you'll understand why Max was the perfect choice to direct this show. The joys and complications of a close friendship between a gay man and a straight woman are the focus of both shows. Not only does Max treat the subject matter with respect, humor, and heart, but he also adeptly navigates the tricky structure of the script, with scenes flowing from one to the next with nary a breath in between." -- Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon
"Lyric Arts is producing a wonderful, humorous, heartfelt play called Significant Other, by Joshua Harmon... Max Wojtanowicz directs this lovely play that holds within it a full range of emotions that reflect the human experience. He brings those hard conversations out in a tender way that could be too much, or too harsh, if not delivered with a loving touch." -- Mary Aalgard of Play Off The Page
"This production is directed by Max Wojtanowicz with care. He allows his actors to find their characters and trusts that the humor will work all the better for it." -- Rob Dunkelberger of The Stages of MN
"Director Max Wojtanowicz, a beloved member of the Twin Cities theatre community, directs this production with clear care and understanding for the script's emotional weight. Balancing sharp humor with gutting monologues is no easy task, but Wojtanowicz keeps the pacing crisp and the tone honest. The result is a show that feels both entertaining and emotional in equal measure." -- Althea Forsner of Beyond the Curtains
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Artistry, 2024)
scenic design: Katie Phillips
costume design: Nat Smith
lighting design: Karin Olson
photos: Dan Norman
Twin Cities Theatre Bloggers: Favorite Director of a Musical, 2024
"In his directorial debut, Max Wojtanowicz finds balance in the staging and physical comedy of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic... In his production of “Sound” that opened over the weekend at Bloomington’s Artistry, Wojtanowicz gives the elegant production a propulsive verve. He also finds a balance between being too spare on the one hand and cluttering the staging with theatrical froufrou." -- Rohan Preston, The Minnesota Star Tribune
"Director Max Wojtanowicz has tapped into a deep vein of emotional memory that had my eyes overflowing throughout the evening. It’s a musical filled with such joy and Wojtanowicz’s directorial flourishes only add to it. I’m not sure anyone in the Twin Cities knows as much about musical theater as Wojtanowicz, his mastery of the form shows in every scene." -- Rob Dunkelberger, The Stages of MN
costume design: Nat Smith
lighting design: Karin Olson
photos: Dan Norman
Twin Cities Theatre Bloggers: Favorite Director of a Musical, 2024
"In his directorial debut, Max Wojtanowicz finds balance in the staging and physical comedy of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic... In his production of “Sound” that opened over the weekend at Bloomington’s Artistry, Wojtanowicz gives the elegant production a propulsive verve. He also finds a balance between being too spare on the one hand and cluttering the staging with theatrical froufrou." -- Rohan Preston, The Minnesota Star Tribune
"Director Max Wojtanowicz has tapped into a deep vein of emotional memory that had my eyes overflowing throughout the evening. It’s a musical filled with such joy and Wojtanowicz’s directorial flourishes only add to it. I’m not sure anyone in the Twin Cities knows as much about musical theater as Wojtanowicz, his mastery of the form shows in every scene." -- Rob Dunkelberger, The Stages of MN
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD (Artistry, 2021)
scenic design: Katie Phillips
costume design: Maureen Sherman-Mendez
lighting design: Karin Olson
photos: Dan Norman
costume design: Maureen Sherman-Mendez
lighting design: Karin Olson
photos: Dan Norman