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About

Darryl  V. Jones

Jones smile blue shirt.jpg

Darryl V. Jones is a professional director, actor, and professor.

He recently served as the Acting Artistic Director of the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and is full Professor
Emeritus of Theatre at Cal State East Bay and adjunct professor in the American Conservatory Theatre MFA Program.

 

In the fall of 2021, Jones will direct the world premiere of The Great Kahn by Michael Gene Sullivan for San Francisco Playhouse. In January of 2020, Jones directed The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith for Center Rep Theatre Co, and he directed and co-choreographed the critically acclaimed production of Kill Move Paradise by James Ijames for Shotgun Players and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in 2019. In 2018 he directed Detroit 67 by Dominique Morisseau for the Aurora Theatre Company.
In fall 2017 he directed and co-choreographed the Aurora production of The Royale winning the Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Entire Production-East Bay as well as being nominated for Outstanding Direction.

 

Directing credits include the off Broadway and national tour of We Are Your Sisters (AUDELCO Award Outstanding Production), A View From The Bridge (Washington, DC Theatre Lobby Award Outstanding Direction, Source Theatre Co.) and Spunk (Helen
Hayes Award Nominee Outstanding Musical, African Continuum Theatre Co.).


Other directing credits include, Grapes of Wrath and Balm and Gilead (Outstanding Direction Ann Arbor News) Mud, River, Stone (The Unicorn Theatre) The Minneola Twins
(Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co.), The Brothers Size (Theatre Rhinoceros), Gem of the Ocean (Sacramento Theatre Co.), The Amen Corner (African American Continuum Theatre Company) Spunk (The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Co.) and direction/choreography for the world premiere of the opera Dark River, based on the life of Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer for Oakland Opera Co., and the Mt. Holyoke
College East Coast premiere.

At CSUEB Jones has directed several premieres of new plays including Follow Me To Nellie’s by Dominique Morisseau (his friend and student from the University of Michigan) and Xtigone by Nambi Kelley, chosen to attend the Region VII Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. His COVID 2020 production of Blood at the Root received numerous regional and national KCACTF honors and awards. Jones has also directed and choreographed musicals such as In The Heights, Chicago, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, Oliver, The All Night Strut, Children of Eden, The Wiz and many more.

Prior to moving to the Bay Area, he was Directing Associate at Arena Stage where he directed and produced PlayQuest the New Play Development Series and choreographed
Candide directed by Doug Wager and Dance of Death directed by Joanne Akilaitis. Jones was also Head of the B.F.A. Directing Concentration at the University of Michigan and Foundation Advisor for their BFA Acting Program.


He is an active member of Actors Equity Association and a TBA Award nominee for outstanding supporting actor in a musical 2017 for Priscilla. He has performed for theatre companies such as Arena Stage, The Old Globe, Ford’s Theatre and The Kennedy Center.


Jones holds a Bachelor of Music, Vocal Performance from The Catholic University of America, and an MFA in Directing from Boston University. He is a certified Meisner
Acting Technique instructor from Larry Silverberg’s True Acting Institute.

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