Dawn Monique Williams
Encyclopedia
Dawn Monique Williams is an American theatre director. She was born in Oakland, California, United States, and is a graduate of California State University, Hayward (BA Theatre Arts, 2003), San Francisco State University
(MA Drama, 2007) and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
in 2011.
. Williams participated in school productions of Day of Absence, A Chorus Line
, The Colored Museum
, and The Wiz
. She directed her first play, Eugene Ionesco
's The Lesson at 15 while a student at BHS.
. She is one of four directors selected for the fall Directors' Project. She is Resident Director for Aces Wild Theatre, a touring company regularly taking productions to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her production of Lisa D'Amour
's Anna Bella Eema traveled to the Fringe in 2008, and a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest
played the festival in August 2010. She is the former Associate Artistic Director for Berkeley's Impact Theatre
.
In addition to her work with Aces, and Impact, Williams has worked at Woman's Will, Hampshire Shakespeare Company, the Hayward Greek Festival, the San Francisco Young Playwrights Festival, California Conservatory Theatre, Chester Theatre, New World Theater and has assisted at the leading regional theatres Hartford Stage
(Hartford, Connecticut), Shakespeare & Company
(Lenox, Massachusetts), TheatreWorks
(Palo Alto, California), and California Shakespeare Theater
(Berkeley, California). Her passion is Shakespearean classics, heightened language plays, and magic/heightened realism, which is evident in these select directing credits: The Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Scapin the Cheat, Sleepy, Steel Magnolias, Children of Eden, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Little Shop of Horrors, The Burial at Thebes, A Christmas Carol, Medea, Trojan Women, In the Blood, and La Ronde.
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
(MA Drama, 2007) and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
in 2011.
Early life
Born in Oakland in 1978, to a white mother and black father, Williams attended Berkeley High School and appears in the PBS Frontline special, School Colors, about racial politics at Berkeley High School forty years after Brown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
. Williams participated in school productions of Day of Absence, A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
, The Colored Museum
The Colored Museum
The Colored Museum is a play by the African American dramatist George C. Wolfe. It had its premiere in 1986 at The Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ and won its author the Dramatists Guild Award in the same year....
, and The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
. She directed her first play, Eugene Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd...
's The Lesson at 15 while a student at BHS.
Career
Williams is a 2011 Directing Fellow of the Drama League of New YorkDrama League of New York
The Drama League of New York originated as a national organization begun in Chicago in 1910. The organization had two primary objectives: to influence the professional production of the best plays by alerting members to performances that warranted their support; and to ensure the continuity of...
. She is one of four directors selected for the fall Directors' Project. She is Resident Director for Aces Wild Theatre, a touring company regularly taking productions to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her production of Lisa D'Amour
Lisa D'Amour
Lisa D'Amour is an Obie Award winning playwright, performer, and former Carnival Queen from New Orleans who resides in New York. Ms. D'Amour is an alumnus of New Dramatists....
's Anna Bella Eema traveled to the Fringe in 2008, and a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
played the festival in August 2010. She is the former Associate Artistic Director for Berkeley's Impact Theatre
Impact Theatre, Berkeley, CA
Impact Theatre is a small professional theatre company located in Berkeley, California, USA.Impact Theatre was founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Josh Costello, Managing Director Phil Nutting, and Artistic Associates Christopher Morrison, Zay Amsbury, Melissa Hillman, Frank Wortham, and Jaron...
.
In addition to her work with Aces, and Impact, Williams has worked at Woman's Will, Hampshire Shakespeare Company, the Hayward Greek Festival, the San Francisco Young Playwrights Festival, California Conservatory Theatre, Chester Theatre, New World Theater and has assisted at the leading regional theatres Hartford Stage
Hartford Stage
Hartford Stage, located in Hartford, Connecticut, is one of the leading resident theatres in the United States, known internationally for entertaining and enlightening audiences with a wide range of the best of world drama, from classics to provocative new plays and musicals and neglected works...
(Hartford, Connecticut), Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company (Massachusetts)
Shakespeare & Company is an American theatre company located in Lenox, Massachusetts in the Berkshire region of western Massachusetts. It was founded in 1978 by Artistic Director Tina Packer, who stepped down in 2009. Tony Simotes is the current Artistic Director. A co-founder was Kristin...
(Lenox, Massachusetts), TheatreWorks
TheatreWorks (Silicon Valley)
TheatreWorks is a non-profit, professional theater company based in Menlo Park, California and founded in July, 1970. The company is a member of the League of Resident Theatres and employs some 300 artists annually, including Equity and non-Equity actors, directors, designers and specialty artists...
(Palo Alto, California), and California Shakespeare Theater
California Shakespeare Theater
California Shakespeare Theater is a regional theater located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Its performance space, the Lt. G.H...
(Berkeley, California). Her passion is Shakespearean classics, heightened language plays, and magic/heightened realism, which is evident in these select directing credits: The Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Scapin the Cheat, Sleepy, Steel Magnolias, Children of Eden, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Little Shop of Horrors, The Burial at Thebes, A Christmas Carol, Medea, Trojan Women, In the Blood, and La Ronde.