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Liesl Tommy

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BIO

Liesl Tommy is an award-winning stage director returning to the Huntington having previously directed Top Girls (2018), A Raisin in the Sun (2013), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2012), and Ruined (2011). Her credits include productions of Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed (Broadway and The Public Theater) starring Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o (Tony Award nomination for Best Director), Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s Appropriate (Signature Theatre), Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Good Negro, UNIVERSES’ Party People, and A. Zell Williams’s Urban Retreat (The Public Theater), Les Misérables (Dallas Theater Center), Hamlet (California Shakespeare Theater), The Piano Lesson (Yale Repertory Theatre), and John Kander/Greg Pierce’s musical Kid Victory. Ms. Tommy is the recipient of an Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Pioneer of the Arts Award, Lillian Hellman Award, Lee Reynolds Award, Alan Schneider Award, NEA/TCG Directors Grant, New York Theatre Workshop Casting/Directing Fellowship, and the inaugural Susan Stroman Award from the Vineyard Theatre. Ms. Tommy facilitated the inaugural Sundance East Africa Theatre Director’s Lab and is a member of the board of the Sundance Institute. Ms. Tommy serves as a program associate at Sundance Institute Theatre Program.

Photos

STAGE CREDITS

[Washington, DC (Regional)]
Shakespeare Theatre Company Production, 2018
Vagonava


Productions

 
[Off-Broadway, 2019]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2018]
Director
 
[Williamstown, MA (Regional), 2017]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2017]
Director
 
[Broadway, 2016]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2015]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2015] [Replacement]
Director[Replacement]
 
[Off-Broadway, 2014]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2009]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2004]
Director

Awards and Nominations


winner
The Lortels - 2016 - Outstanding Director

Liesl Tommy, Eclipsed

Tony Awards - 2016 - Best Direction of a Play

Liesl Tommy, Eclipsed


winner
Obie Awards - 2014 - Direction

Liesl Tommy, Appropriate

Videos

News


The 24 Hour Plays Reveals Company for The 24 Hour Plays Nationals in NYC
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 27, 2025

The 24 Hour Plays revealed this year's company for The 24 Hour Plays Nationals in NYC. Learn more about the events taking place in July and see how to attend!
National Theatre Welcomes New Artistic Associates Miranda Cromwell, Dr Sophie Duncan, Clint Dyer, and Lynn Nottage
by Stephi Wild - Apr 24, 2025

The National Theatre has announced that Director and Choreographer Miranda Cromwell; author, academic, and dramaturg Dr Sophie Duncan; and Pulitzer-winning playwright Lynn Nottage have been appointed as Artistic Associates.
La Mama Umbria Will Host 26th Year Of International Symposium For Directors
by Stephi Wild - Mar 31, 2025

This Summer, as La MaMa Umbria celebrates the 26th year of its flagship program, directors and playwrights will have an opportunity to learn from some of the most renowned theatre-makers in the world.
The 24 Hour Plays Nationals Open 2025 Applications and Reveal LA Expansion
by Stephi Wild - Feb 20, 2025

The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals return this summer for their 14th year. An annual professional development initiative for early-career theater artists, the 2025 program will take place this July.
Vineyard Theatre Reveals Winners of the Emerging Artists Awards
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 20, 2024

Vineyard Theatre has revealed the recipients of the 2024-2025 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award and Colman Domingo Award. Learn more about the award and the recipients!
THE 24 HOUR PLAYS: NATIONALS 2024 Cohort Announced
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 24, 2024

THE 24 HOUR PLAYS has announced this year's cohort for The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, which will return this summer for their 13th year. A weeklong professional development initiative for early-career theater artists, The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals 2024 will take place July 15-22, 2024 at the Pace University Lower Manhattan campus. 
Interview: 'The Play Really Explores the Idea of Identity': Actor Giles Terera on Energy, Bravery and Music in PASSING STRANGE
by Kat Mokrynski - May 22, 2024

Passing Strange, the Tony Award-winning rock musical by Stew, is making its European premiere at the Young Vic. The show tells the story of a young man in the 1980s who travels the world to find himself, going from his home of Los Angeles in the United States to the punk rock realms of Amsterdam and Berlin.
Photos: Inside Rehearsal For PASSING STRANGE at the Young Vic Theatre
by Stephi Wild - Apr 19, 2024

The Young Vic Theatre has released all new rehearsal photos from the European premiere of the Broadway hit musical Passing Strange. Check out the photos here!
Cast Set For the European Premiere of PASSING STRANGE at the Young Vic
by Stephi Wild - Mar 14, 2024

The Young Vic Theatre has announced casting for the European premiere of the electrifying Tony, Drama Desk and Critics Circle Award-winning rock musical Passing Strange.
Tickets Exclusively On Sale For Young Vic Theatre's New Season
by Stephi Wild - Mar 12, 2024

Tickets are exclusively on sale for the Young Vic Theatre's new season! Learn more about the season lineup and find out how to get tickets here!
Liesl Tommy to be Honored at NYTW 2024 Gala; Shoshanna Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon & More to Appear
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 20, 2024

New York Theatre Workshop's 2024 Gala will honor theater and film visionary Liesl Tommy. Learn more about the gala and about Tommy!
Applications Now Open for the 13th Annual 24 HOUR PLAYS: NATIONALS
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 14, 2024

The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, will return this summer for their 13th year. Learn how to apply!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What awards has Liesl Tommy been nominated for?

Outstanding Director (The Lortels) for Eclipsed, Best Direction of a Play (Tony Awards) for Eclipsed and Direction (Obie Awards) for Appropriate.

What awards has Liesl Tommy won?

Liesl Tommy has won the Outstanding Director award from The Lortel Awards for Eclipsed and the Direction award from the Obie Awards for Appropriate.

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Videos