His directorial debut was the hit Off-Broadway production of Brecht's A Man's A Man. This was followed by Robert Lowell's Endicott and the Red Cross at the American Place Theatre, and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Theater de Lys with sets by Jim Dine, for which Hancock received the Obie® Award. Cue Magazine noted, "This brutal, vulgar, and erotic production of Shakespeare's sex fantasy is the most original and arresting I've ever witnessed. This is the best of all the Dreams and an important pioneering effort in re-interpreting the play."
Hancock's success on the New York stage led to his being appointed Artistic Director of the famed San Francisco Actors Workshop and later to directing assignments at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and the New Repertory Theatre Company in New York. Hancock has received widespread critical acclaim for his approach to the work of many contemporary and classic playwrights. He worked closely on several occasions with Tennessee Williams, who says in his autobiography that of all the directors he ever worked with, Hancock was "the most gifted for cuts and transpositions." In 1970, with a grant from the American Film Institute, Hancock directed the short film, STICKY MY FINGERS... FLEET MY FEET, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.
Hancock's feature film directing credits include LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH [1971, also writer (Ralph Rose)], BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY (1973), CALIFORNIA DREAMING (1979), BABY BLUE MARINE (1976), WEEDS (1987, also writer), and PRANCER (1989), starring Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman, Abe Vigoda and Rebecca Harrell, which he shot on his family's fruit farm in LaPorte County, Indiana. He also directed the features A PIECE OF EDEN (2000) and SUSPENDED ANIMATION (2001).
Nominated for Short Subjects (Live Action) 1970: STICKY MY FINGERS... FLEET MY FEET - Producer
1 nomination