Artist Bio

An award-winning director and filmmaker, Derrick Sanders is the Associate Director of the Drama Division at Juilliard. He has been the producing director of Chicago’s August Wilson Monologue Competition and an associate professor in the theater department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was also the founding artistic director of Congo Square Theatre, one of the country’s leading ensembles dedicated to work rooted in the African diaspora. Richard Feldman (faculty 1987-present), who had been serving as associate dean for 16 years, will continue teaching and directing in the division. Sanders received a BFA from Howard University and an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. His directing credits include the world premiere of Jonathan Norton’s Penny Candy (Dallas Theater Center); Kelvin Roston Jr.’s Twisted Melodies (Baltimore Center Stage, Apollo Theater, Mosaic Theater Company); Athol Fugard’s The Island and Carlyle Brown’s The African Company Presents Richard III (American Players Theatre); Will Power’s Fetch Clay, Make Man (Round House Theatre); Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop (Virginia Stage Company); Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park and Kwame Kwei-Armah’s Beneatha’s Place for “The Raisin Cycle” (Baltimore Center Stage); Lydia Diamond’s Stick Fly (True Colors Theatre Company); Javon Johnson’s Sanctified (Lincoln Theatre); Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder’s Gee’s Bend (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog (American Theater Company); David Ingber’s Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money (world premiere), Christopher Paul Curtis’ Bud, Not Buddy, and Dan Gutman’s Jackie and Me (Chicago Children’s Theatre); and the world premiere of Five Fingers of Funk (Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis). Perfect Day, the short film he wrote and directed, garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards. In addition to founding the August Wilson Monologue Competition, which is featured in the film Giving Voice, Sanders has directed numerous Wilson plays, including King Hedley II (Signature Theatre, Kennedy Center); Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Baltimore Center Stage); Fences and Radio Golf (Virginia Stage); and Jitney (True Colors Theatre Company). He was also the assistant director of the Broadway premieres of Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean.