Christian Levatino
Playwright/Director
Christian Levatino is a playwright, director, and actor known for his uncompromising exploration of human nature under extreme circumstances. As founder and artistic director of Gangbusters Theatre Company, he creates intellectually provocative, emotionally intense theater that refuses easy answers.
His critically acclaimed play Sunny Afternoon dramatizes the 48 hours Lee Harvey Oswald spent in police custody following JFK’s assassination, masterfully weaving fact and conspiracy into a deeply human portrait that forces audiences to grapple with history, truth, and morality.
Under his directorial alias Leon Shanglebee, Levatino’s revival of Tracers—a harrowing exploration of Vietnam War trauma—earned a Backstage Critic’s Pick, a Garland Award Best Director nomination, and Best Ensemble nominations from both Garland and Ovation Awards. His stage adaptation of Night of the Living Dead received an NAACP Award nomination, transforming cult horror into powerful social commentary on fear, survival, and trust.
Additional accolades include an NAACP Best Director nomination for Streamers (Backstage West Critic’s Pick), an LA Weekly Best Supporting Actor nomination for Balm in Gilead (which he also directed and produced), an LA Weekly Best Producer nomination, and a Garland Best Actor nomination for Hamlet. His play King Dick was selected as one of the Top 18 plays in the country by The Great Plains Theatre Commons (2016).
At the heart of his work is a philosophy of “staging the imagined truth with speed and violence.” Levatino’s theater challenges societal norms, provokes deep reflection, and expands the possibilities of storytelling through his fearless commitment to innovation and emotional authenticity.
