Whitney White
Whitney White | |
|---|---|
 White in 2026 | |
| Born | 1985 or 1986 (age 40–41) |
| Education | Northwestern University (BA) Brown University (MFA) |
Whitney White (born 1985 or 1986)[1] is an American director, actor, and musician.[2][3][4][5] Her acting work includes Ocean's 8, Louie, and The Playboy Club.[6] She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for Jaja’s African Hair Braiding on Broadway at the 77th Tony Awards in 2024.[7][8] White will direct the forthcoming stage musical production of The Queen's Gambit.[9][10][11][12]
Early life and education
[edit]Whitney White grew up in Chicago, Illinois.[13] She attended Northwestern University, where she took theater classes, receiving a BA in political science and a certificate in musical theater. While working as an intern on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, White realized she wanted to pursue the arts. She received a MFA in acting in 2015[14] from Brown University through their partnership with Trinity Repertory Company.[15][16]
During White's first year of MFA at Brown University/Trinity Rep, all actor program students had to take one directing class. She received her first opportunity to direct during this class (an adaptation she wrote of Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen), and she felt that all of her skills were being put to use and "that my brain was quiet and focused".[13]
Career
[edit]White's directorial debut was in 2018, when she directed Othello for Trinity Repertory, when she fell in love with Shakespeare's work. “I am a Black woman from Chicago, and I always saw my experience reflected in Shakespeare’s world, however, often I would see these great plays live, and these productions wouldn’t represent my experience or even a world I recognized. Yet, when I read Shakespeare, I totally hear my world. I hear my friends and family, and I see the world that I live in. So I wondered how I could unite all these worlds that I love: music, Shakespeare, really high-quality performative art, and entertainment.” Whitney said in an interview with American Repertory Theater.[17] A.R.T commissioned White for five different projects, including Macbeth in Stride, which examined Black female power through the eyes of Lady Macbeth, played by White, and was staged as a rock concert.
In November of the same year White directed What to Send Up When It Goes Down by Aleshea Harris at A.R.T./New York Theatres. The cast included Alana Raquel Bowers, Rachel Christopher, Ugo Chukwu, Kambi Gathesha, Naomi Lorrain, Denise Manning, Javon Q. Minter and Beau Thom.[18]
White won the Obie Award in 2020 for directing Our Dear Dead Druglord at the WP Theater.[19]
Works
[edit] |
Director
[edit]| Year | Title | Credit | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Marvin's Room | Assistant Director | American Airlines Theatre, Broadway |
| 2018 | What to Send Up When It Goes Down | Director | |
| 2019 | for all the women who thought they were Mad | Director | Soho Repertory Theatre, Off-Broadway |
| Our Dear Dead Druglord | Director | WP Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2020 | What to Send Up When It Goes Down | Director | The Public Theater, Off-Broadway |
| 2022 | On Sugarland | Director | New York Theatre Workshop, Off-Broadway |
| Soft | Director | MCC Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington | Director | Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago | |
| 2023 | The Secret Life of Bees | Director | Almeida Theatre, Off West End |
| Jaja's African Hair Braiding | Director | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2024 | Jordans | Director | The Public Theater, Off-Broadway |
| Walden | Director | Second Stage Tony Kiser Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2025 | Liberation | Director | Roundabout at Laura Pels Theatre, Off-Broadway |
| The Last Five Years | Director | Hudson Theatre, Broadway | |
| Saturday Church | Director | New York Theatre Workshop, Off-Broadway | |
| Liberation | Director | James Earl Jones Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2026 | The Whoopi Monologues | Director | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, Off-Broadway |
| 2026 | School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play | Director | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway |
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Playboy Club | Ikette, Hefette | TV Series (2 episodes) |
| 2012 | Louie | Stripper | TV Series (1 episode) |
| 2018 | Ocean's 8 | Cynthia | |
| 2022 | Single Drunk Female | Angeline | TV Series (2 episodes) |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Susan Stroman Award | Direction | n/a | Won |
| 2020 | Obie Award | Direction | Our Dear Dead Druglord | Won |
| 2022 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Director of a Play | On Sugarland | Nominated |
| Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Director | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Director | Soft | Nominated |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Jaja's African Hair Braiding | Nominated |
| Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Nominated | ||
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | Founders Award for Excellence in Directing | Honored | |
| Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Director | Liberation | Nominated | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Director of a Play | Nominated | ||
| 2026 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Nominated | |
| Obie Award | Sustained Achievement in Direction | Walden and Liberation | Won | |
Personal life
[edit]White lives in Brooklyn, New York City.[21]
References
[edit]- ↑ Soloski, Alexis (15 April 2025). "Onstage and Off, Whitney White Is Everywhere This Spring". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ↑ "Whitney White: Think, and Die". publictheater.org. Retrieved 2025-02-11.[dead link]
- ↑ "Whitney White | A.R.T." americanrepertorytheater.org. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Whitney White". www.steppenwolf.org. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Whitney White on how Shakespeare still resonates today". www.bbc.com. 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Whitney White | Actress". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Whitney White Brings Her Broadway Hit Home". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Whitney White". Playbill.
- ↑ Evans, Greg (2023-11-15). "'The Queen's Gambit' Stage Musical In Development With Singer-Songwriter Mitski, Playwright Eboni Booth & Director Whitney White". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ Samuel, Brittani (2024-06-26). "The Gift of Living in Whitney White's Queendom". AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Director Whitney White on Depth and the Magic of Theater | Helga". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Whitney White". Guild Hall. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- 1 2 "Whitney White: "Just Keep Expanding"". the-talks.com. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ↑ "Meet Whitney White – Trinity Repertory Company". www.trinityrep.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
- ↑ "Whitney White—in her own words". Shakespeare Theatre Company. 2020-08-28. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Meet Whitney White – Trinity Repertory Company". www.trinityrep.com. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ↑ "Meet Whitney White – Trinity Repertory Company". www.trinityrep.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
- ↑ Clement, Olivia (November 30, 2018). "Aleshea Harris' What to Send Up When It Goes Down Extends". Playbill.
- ↑ "20". Obie Awards. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
- 1 2 "Whitney White". Playbill.com. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- 1 2 "Whitney White (Productions)". whitney-white.com. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Obie Awards". ObieAwards.com. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
 | This article about an American theatre actor is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |