Hancock's theatrical work includes direction of both classic and contemporary plays, from Shakespeare to Saul Bellow.
He continued his theatrical studies in Europe with a grant from Harvard[3] and observed Bertolt Brecht's Berliner Ensemble.
In 1968, Hancock directed Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which won him the Obie Award for Distinguished Director for the 1967–68 season.
[4] Cue Magazine noted, "This brutal, vulgar and erotic production of Shakespeare's sex fantasy is the most original and arresting I've ever witnessed.
"[5] Hancock's success on the New York stage led to his appointment as Artistic Director of the famed San Francisco Actor's Workshop in 1965.
Ironically, Hancock later replaced Michael Wadleigh as director on the troubled allegorical horror film Wolfen (1981), which was a box office failure but has steadily built a cult reputation over the years.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Hancock directed acclaimed episodes of NBC's Hill Street Blues[1] and CBS's The Twilight Zone (1985 series), the latter including an adaptation of Theodore Sturgeon's science-fantasy story "A Saucer of Loneliness".
[1] He also directed the prison drama Weeds (1987), starring Nick Nolte, and the holiday family film Prancer (1989), about an eight-year-old girl who discovers an injured reindeer she believes belongs to Santa Claus.
[15] The spy thriller is based on the book written by Sam Roberts, a noted author and New York Times reporter and editor.
[3][15] The play is based mostly on the untold story of David Greenglass who turned in Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for giving atomic bomb secrets to the Russians.
"[19] "Director John Hancock is working here almost more as traffic cop or circus ringmaster or knife juggler as he skillfully keeps his nine actors racing through meticulous comedic choreography.