Yuri Kordonsky studied acting and directing in Russia, at the St. Petersburg State Academy of Theatre Arts. He has taught, performed, and directed internationally since 1989. As a performer and director, he toured in more than 20 countries and conducted workshops in Russia, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Romania.

His recent directing credits include his original play Disappearance and 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), A Cabal of Hypocrites by Bulgakov, Peer Gynt by Ibsen and Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (Wesleyan University, CT), A Diary of a Madman by Gogol (West End Theatre, Gloucester, MA), and Canterbury Tales by Chaucer (Riverside Theater, New York), among others.

His productions won numerous international awards including Golden Light (St. Petersburg), Best Production (Union of European Theatres, Palermo), Best Production, Best Director, the Special Prize of the Romanian Ministry of Culture (Bucharest, Romania).

He is an Associate Professor of Theater at Wesleyan University and has taught acting and directing at Columbia University, George Washington University, and Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.