Sheldon Epps has been Artistic Director of the renowned Pasadena Playhouse since 1997. Before beginning his tenure at the Playhouse he served as Associate Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre. Mr. Epps has directed at many of the country’s major theatres including the Roundabout, Manhattan Theatre Club, the Guthrie, Playwrights Horizons, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, and the Goodman Theatre. He conceived the highly acclaimed musicals Play On! and Blues In the Night, which both received Tony Award nominations. He directed productions of both of those shows on Broadway, in London, and at theatres throughout the world.
Mr. Epps also has had a busy career as a television director helming episodes of shows such as Frasier, George Lopez, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Girlfriends, which he also produced. In recognition of his work in television, he was invited to be the Pankey Chair/Filmmaker in Residence at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Television. He has also lectured and taught acting and directing at USC, UCLA, University of San Diego, and UCSD.
For more than a decade, he served as a member of the Executive Board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. Mr. Epps is a two-time recipient of the Theatre Communications Group/Pew Charitable Trust National Theatre Artists Residency Grant and is the first leader of a performing arts organization to receive the prestigious James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for his efforts and accomplishments at the Pasadena Playhouse. Under his leadership the Playhouse has earned distinction for productions of artistic excellence, critical and box office success, and highly praised theatrical diversity.