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Zhailon Levingston Headshot

Zhailon Levingston

Zhailon Levingston is a Louisiana-raised storyteller, director, and activist. He is a Board Member for the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, which he co-created, and teaches the Theatre of Change course at Columbia University.

BIO

Zhailon Levingston is a Louisiana-raised storyteller, director, and activist. He is a Board Member for the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, which he co-created, and teaches the Theatre of Change course at Columbia University.


He is a Music Mentor Fellow and has done work with Idina Menzel’s A Broader Way Foundation. His directing credits include: Neptune (Dixon Place, Brooklyn Museum), The Years That Went Wrong (Lark, MCC), The Exonerated (Columbia Law School), Chariot Part 2 (Soho Rep., for The Movement Theatre Company), Mother of Pearl (LaGuardia Performing Arts Center). He is the associate director of Primer for a Failed Superpower with Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin, and Runaways at The Public Theater with Sam Pinkleton. Most recently, he directed Chicken & Biscuits which premiered on Broadway in 2021 and Patience which premiered at Second Stage UPTOWN Summer of 2022. Zhailon is also the former resident director at Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway and the associate director of Hadestown in South Korea.

Photos

STAGE CREDITS

[Off-Broadway]
Concert Presentation, 2017
Performer

Productions

 
[West End, 2026]
Director
 
[Broadway, 2026]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2025]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2024]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2022]
Director
 
[Broadway, 2021] [Replacement]
Director[Replacement]
 
[Off-Broadway, 2020]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2019]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 2018]
Community Engagement Team.

Six Degrees of Broadway Beta

See how many degrees separate Zhailon Levingston from another Broadway star or creative.

Zhailon Levingston

Zhailon Levingston

Awards and Nominations

Drama League Awards - 2026 - OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Zhailon Levingston, Cats: The Jellicle Ball


winner
Tony Awards - 2026 - Best Direction of a Musical

Zhailon Levingston, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Drama Desk Awards - 2025 - Outstanding Direction of a Musical

Zhailon Levingston, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Drama League Awards - 2025 - OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Zhailon Levingston, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2025 - Outstanding Direction of a Musical

Zhailon Levingston, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Videos

News

Video: Ty Taylor Performs 'We Might Play All Night' From PASSING STRANGE at Pasadena Playhouse
by A.A. Cristi - Oct 16, 2026

Pasadena Playhouse releases original music video featuring Ty Taylor and the cast of the Tony Award-winning rock musical PASSING STRANGE, marking the show's Los Angeles premiere.
Interview: 'There's A Blurring Of That Fourth Wall': Actor Jamael Westman On TABLE 17
by Kat Mokrynski - Oct 19, 2026

Recently, we had the chance to speak with Jamael Westman, who plays Dallas in Table 17. We discussed what it was like to prepare for the three-hander, the community that has been built around the Kiln Theatre and even the conversations he hopes that audiences have after seeing the play.
Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program Opens Applications for 7th Year
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 8, 2026

Applications for The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program are now open. The seventh cycle of The CRR Scholarship Program will continue to distribute $100,000 amongst 10 recipients.
IMPRESSIVE, SINCERELY to Have World Premiere at Lower East Side Bookstore
by A.A. Cristi - Oct 5, 2026

Robert Norman's deadpan comedy about an American author in Germany will have its world premiere at P&T Knitwear bookstore, directed by Alex Hare and starring Amara James Aja and Annika Burley.
PASSING STRANGE to be Presented at Pasadena Playhouse
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 1, 2026

Pasadena Playhouse announced the full cast for the Los Angeles premiere of the Tony Award-winning rock musical PASSING STRANGE, starring Ty Taylor, Britton Smith, and Saycon Sengbloh, with direction by Zhailon Levingston.
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld October 1, 2026- Matthew Morrison Returns to JUST IN TIME and More
by - Oct 1, 2026

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is October 1, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
Photos: Michael Arden, Daniel Durant and More Join Deaf West Theatre 35th Anniversary NYC Gala
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 30, 2026

Deaf West Theatre held its inaugural New York City gala at Joe's Pub, honoring Academy Award winner Troy Kotsur, five-time Tony Award winner Eva Price, and Tony Award-winning directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch. See photos!
Review: TABLE 17, Starring Marisha Wallace, Kiln Theatre
by Clementine Scott - Sep 24, 2026

Before Table 17 begins, a voice over the tannoy announces that audience interaction is encouraged, “like in panto”. It’s a good thing they warned us, because Douglas Lyons’s play is trying so hard to be a participatory experience that its core emotional truths are being lost along the way.
38th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS Unveils Creative Teams
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 10, 2026

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre named directors, music directors and emerging artists for its 38th annual festival showcasing eight new musicals in concert presentations at New World Stages.
Michael Arden, Daniel Durant, Kathryn Gallagher & More Set for Deaf West Theatre's 35th Anniversary Gala
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 1, 2026

Deaf West Theatre announced performers for its first New York City gala, honoring Troy Kotsur, Eva Price, Zhailon Levingston, and Bill Rauch at Joe's Pub.
Full Cast And Creative Team Set for TABLE 17 At Kiln Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 13, 2026

Kiln Theatre has revealed the full cast and creative team for the UK premiere of Douglas Lyons' hit play and romantic comedy Table 17, directed by 2026 Tony Award-winner Zhailon Levingston.
Andrew Lloyd Webber Shares Thoughts on CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL Closing Day; A Message To The Fans
by Marissa Faith Curley - Aug 8, 2026

Andrew Lloyd Webber took to Facebook to send his well wishes to the cast and creatives of CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL ahead of their closing performance at the Broadhurst Theater. 
Deaf West Theatre to Host First-Ever New York City Gala
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 23, 2026

Deaf West Theatre will present The 35th Anniversary Gala – One Night in New York at Joe’s Pub. Marking Deaf West’s first-ever New York City gala, the event will celebrate 35 years of innovation, collaboration, education, and social change.
NEXT FESTIVAL 2026 Casting Announced by Theater Latté Da for Three New Musicals
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 14, 2026

Theater Latté Da announced casting for its 2026 NEXT Festival of New Musicals, featuring three new works — BLACK GIRL IN PARIS, HEARTS IS BROKE, and ALICE IN NEVERLAND — each receiving developmental workshops and public presentations at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.
CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL Cancels Performance July 13th
by Joshua Wright - Jul 13, 2026

The performance of CATS: the Jellicle Ball on Monday, July 13th, at 7pm has been cancelled by the production due to company illness.
CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL Announces Closing Date
by Nicole Rosky - Jul 13, 2026

The ball is over. BroadwayWorld has just learned that Cats: The Jellicle Ball, the Tony Award-winning musical revival, will end its Broadway run at the Broadhurst Theatre on Saturday evening, August 8. Later this month, the production will be filmed by the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT) at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and added to its collection. 
Tara Lashan Clinkscales Spills All the Backstage Tea From CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL
by Stephi Wild - Jul 13, 2026

In this edition of Words From The Wings, we catch up with Tara Lashan Clinkscales of CATS: The Jellicle Ball, who took us backstage at the Broadhurst Theatre to share some of her favorite backstage moments, must-haves, and more!
Photos: Inside Opening Night of BIRTHRIGHT at MCC
by Jennifer Broski - Jun 30, 2026

MCC Theater just celebrated opening night of Birthright, running through July 26, 2026 at MCC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater. BroadwayWorld was there for the big night and you can check out photos from the red carpet here.
Video: CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL Cast Performs 'Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat' on THE TONIGHT SHOW
by Josh Sharpe - Jun 23, 2026

The cast of Broadway's Cats: The Jellicle Ball joined The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday evening for a performance from the hit Broadway revival. Watch the cast perform the second act number, 'Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat.'
AMERICAN SUBLIME: Stories from Elsewhere in III Acts is Coming to The Delacorte Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 16, 2026

The Public Theater and Public Forum series curators Alexa Smith and Jeremy McCarter will present American Sublime: Stories from Elsewhere in III Acts in The Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What awards has Zhailon Levingston been nominated for?

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL (Drama League Awards) for Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Cats: The Jellicle Ball, OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL (Drama League Awards) for Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Cats: The Jellicle Ball.

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