After teaching English and Drama at high schools and at a state hospital for the severely emotionally disturbed on the East Coast, Sobel worked as a freelance actor and director in New York City and Washington, D.C. In 1982, Sobel founded the Peal Theatre Company in New York City, where he was later joined by Dana Keefer '68 and Ted Max '80 as trustees. With seating for 160, a core company of 14 actors and an annual production schedule of five plays, the Pearl is one of the only classical repertory theatres in the country. The Pearl was the 1993 recipient of an Obie grant from the Village Voice.
Among the Pearl's outreach program is its arts-in-education initiative—Classics in the Classroom—which gives high school students opportunities for interaction with the theatre as a conduit for education and culture.
Contribution: Founder and Artistic Director of The Pearl Theatre Company, Inc.
Hometown: Malverne, New York
Major: English
Other Education: University of Florida (M.A., Theatre, 1974)