Valerie Curtis-Newton

Valerie Curtis-Newton is Head of Directing and Playwriting at University of Washington’s School of Drama. She also serves as the Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project.

Recent credits include Guthrie Theater, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Denver Center Theatre, West of Lenin, ArtsWest, Taper Forum, and New York Theatre Workshop, among others. She has been awarded the National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Career Development Grant for Directors; the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s Gielgud Directing Fellowship; Theatre Puget Sound’s Gregory Falls Award for Sustained Achievement; Seattle Times’ 13 Most Influential Citizens of the last decade; the Seattle Stranger Genius Award in Performance; and the Crosscut Courage Award for Culture.

Valerie has a BA from Holy Cross College and an MFA from the University of Washington.