BLACK DIRECTORS ON TRANSFORMING THE
AMERICAN THEATRE AN SDC ROUNDTABLE INTRODUCED + MODERATED BY
TAYLOR BARFIELD Amid the chaos of the past six months—when the COVID-19 pandemic has killed (as of this writing) more than 170,000 Americans, disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities, and protesters fill the streets in every corner of the country chanting Black Lives Matter and demanding racial justice—the theatre industry has been hit hard. Companies have shuttered, shows have been canceled, and people have been fired or furloughed in droves. In this unprecedented time, SDC Journal asked me to assemble a group of Black directors to discuss what the role of theatre is in this time of social distancing and civil uprising, and what the future of American theatre could and should look like. Seven brilliant directors from across the country agreed to participate in this online roundtable discussion. Then, as has become commonplace these past months, the eight of us each logged onto Zoom from whatever slice of home had become our office and began talking.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS TAYLOR BARFIELD serves as Literary Manager for Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ. He is currently a DFA candidate at the Yale School of Drama. His dissertation examines contemporary reimaginings of Black theatre history. LOU BELLAMY is a freelance director. He is the founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Penumbra Theatre. He continues to direct and develop plays from the African diaspora at theatres around the country. JADE KING CARROLL is a freelance director based in New York City. Currently she is working with playwrights Dael Orlandersmith, Candrice Jones, and Chisa Hutchinson.
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WARDELL JULIUS CLARK hails from Alabama but now calls Chicago home. He earned his BFA in Acting from the Theatre School at DePaul University. He is a Company Member and Teaching Artist with TimeLine Theatre, where he recently directed Kill Move Paradise. KEN-MATT MARTIN is currently the Associate Producer of Goodman Theatre. He previously served as the Producing Director of Williamstown Theatre Festival and co-founded Pyramid Theatre Company. PATRICIA McGREGOR is an acclaimed director and writer working in theatre, music, and film. She has been twice profiled by the New York Times for her work on world premieres.
HANA S. SHARIF is an award-winning director, playwright, and producer. She is currently Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and serves on the Board of Directors for TCG and the Sprott Family Foundation. AWOYE TIMPO, a director based in Brooklyn, NY, works on new and classic works. She is also a Producer of CLASSIX, a series exploring classic plays by Black playwrights.
