ABSTRACT

Career Paths of African American Directors is a collection of in-depth conversations with African American directors.

These conversations provide an insightful overview of the interviewees’ work and artistic vision and explore their personal influences, aesthetic philosophies, directorial styles, and some of the creative successes they achieved while navigating the obstacles, challenges, and biases encountered while establishing their careers in American theatre. The directors are presented with similar core questions as well as pertinent questions related to their own aesthetics, philosophy, and career. Often, these selected directors’ productions are grounded in a non-European aesthetic and philosophy, and their directorial styles are refracted through the prisms of ethnicity, gender, race, and culture, thus bringing a fresh approach to their work and the art of directing.

Career Paths of African American Directors will be of interest to actors, early career and established directors, and students of Acting, Directing, and Theatre Studies.

chapter 1|14 pages

Intense

An Interview with Saundra McClain

chapter 2|23 pages

Centered

An Interview with Oz Scott

chapter 3|12 pages

Dreamer

An Interview with Sheldon Epps

chapter 4|13 pages

Joyful

An Interview with Shirley Jo Finney

chapter 5|16 pages

Content

An Interview with Clinton Turner Davis

chapter 6|12 pages

Dedicated

An Interview with Chuck Smith

chapter 7|9 pages

Curious

An Interview with Seret Scott

chapter 8|15 pages

Seeker

An Interview with A. Dean Irby

chapter 9|15 pages

Nurturing

chapter 10|13 pages

Tenacious

An Interview with Elizabeth Van Dyke

chapter 11|11 pages

Inquisitive

An Interview with Gregg Daniel

chapter 12|18 pages

Pride

An Interview with Ruben Santiago-Hudson

chapter 13|6 pages

Empowerment

An Interview with George C. Wolfe

chapter 14|25 pages

Grateful

An Interview with Ricardo Khan