Luke Yankee is a director, producer, playwright, author, and screenwriter. His play, The Last Lifeboat has received 22 productions around the country in the past three years. His latest play, The Man Who Killed the Cure received a workshop production at UC Irvine last fall and was a semifinalist for the National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. His memoir, Just Outside The Spotlight: Growing up with Eileen Heckart has been touted by critics as “One of the most compassionate, illuminating showbiz books ever written.” It is published by Random House with a foreword by Mary Tyler Moore. His award-winning comedy, The Jesus Hickey premiered in Los Angeles starring Harry Hamlin. His play, A Place at Forest Lawn has been performed at a number of regional theatres. As a director and producer, he has run two regional theaters, assistant directed six Broadway shows and directed Off Broadway and at regional theaters around the country. He has an MFA in Writing for the Performing Arts from UC Riverside.