Derrick Sanders

Derrick Sanders is an award-winning director of theatre and film, currently serving as Associate Director of Drama at The Juilliard School. He is also the Director of the National August Wilson New Voices Competition, featured in the Netflix film Giving Voice. Deeply rooted in the richness of August Wilson’s work, Sanders has directed many productions of Wilson plays including King Hedley II (Signature Theatre, Kennedy Center), Seven Guitars (Kennedy Center, Congo Square), Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Baltimore Center Stage, Congo Square), Fences (Marin Theatre, Virginia Stage), Radio Golf (Virginia Stage), and Jitney (True Colors). On Broadway, Sanders was Assistant Director for the world premieres of Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean.

Sanders also directed the world premieres of Deep Azure by Chadwick Boseman (Congo Square, Apollo Theater), Penny Candy (Dallas Theater Center), Twisted Melodies (Congo Square, Baltimore Center Stage, Apollo Theater, Mosaic Theater), Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money (Chicago Children’s Theatre), and Five Fingers of Funk (Children’s Theatre Company). Other credits include Clybourne Park, Beneatha’s Place (Baltimore Center Stage), Fetch Clay, Make Man (Round House Theatre, Marin Theatre), The Island, The African Company Presents Richard III (American Players Theatre), The Mountaintop (Virginia Stage), Stick Fly (True Colors), Sanctified (Lincoln Theater), and Gee’s Bend (Cincinnati Playhouse). Before accepting the position at Juilliard, Sanders was a Chicago-based theatre maker for 22 years. As the Founding Artistic Director of Congo Square Theatre, he directed regularly for the company and received multiple awards and accolades, including being named the Chicago Tribune’s Chicagoan of the Year for Theatre in 2005.

Sanders' short film Perfect Day, which he wrote and directed, has been screened in more than 20 film festivals worldwide and has garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards. Sanders also launched a short film program at Juilliard, within which he has directed shorts such as Extenders by Pulitzer Prize-winning Eboni Booth, On The Rocks by Cusi Cram, and Thresholds by Nathan Alan Davis. – Sanders received his BFA from Howard University and an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh.