For Valerie Curtis-Newton, the theater is not only a means of self-expression but an essential part of the creation and rejuvenation of a community. That is the spirit with which she embraces not only teaching but also directing. Previously, she directed Skeleton Crew at PlayMakers Repertory Company. This month, she returns to Chapel Hill to direct Blues for an Alabama Sky.
Blues for an Alabama Sky runs through September 25. For more information visit the ticketing website or our Calendar of Events.
About the Guest
Valerie Curtis-Newton is currently the Head of Directing at the University of Washington School of Drama. She also serves as the Founding Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, a professional African American theatre lab. She has worked with professional theatres across the country including The Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Rep, Playmakers Repertory Com[any, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, New York Theatre Workshop, and Southern Repertory Theatre among others.
Awards: 2020: Seattle Times Most Influential People of the Last Decade; 2019: Theatre Puget Sound – Gregory Falls Award for Sustained Achievement; 2016: Seattle Times Footlight Award (Best in Show) 2014: Stranger Genius Awards in Performance and the Crosscut Courage Award for Culture; 2012: Gypsy Rose Lee Award for Excellence in Direction; 2001: Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s (SDCF) Gielgud Directing Fellowship 1997-1999: NEA/TCG Career Development Fellowship for Directors
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