Reginald Douglas

“I want to be a part of telling stories that are full of truth, and truth is not trauma alone. Truth is pushing through, resilience in the face of trauma. And understanding that really lets us understand what empathy could mean. I’m in the business of empathy. My job as an artist is to create empathy, deepen understanding of our neighbors. And that’s the power of an organization like Studio Theatre, and that’s the power I think we’re leaning into in this moment. We have a responsibility to our community. Even though our stage is dark, our job is to foster conversations and connections and bring people together.” – Reginald discusses his vision for the field and work at Studio Theatre with DC Metro Theatre Arts

Read the full interview here!

“In a world and in a culture that so often feels like it wants me dead, I am here to tell stories about life. And to do that work now as these dual pandemics attack our world is a gift, a duty, and a responsibility that I do not and will not take lightly.” – Reginald discusses his career and vision with Georgetown University’s Alumni Association

Read the full interview here!

Reginald chats with Profile Theatre’s Director of Community Engagement Bobby Bermea about his vision and process for creating Mlima’s Tale. Listen to the full interview here!

“This production, directed by Reginald L. Douglas, is so vibrant and alive that I could easily fill in the visuals with my imagination. […] a remarkably multisensory experience” – Broadway World

Read the full rave review here!

“The production mounted by Profile Theatre could not be better.” – Judy Nedry

Read Oregon’s Judy Nedry’s rave review here!

Praise from Oregon Arts Watch. Read Bob Hick’s great review here!

“It’s a requiem for Mlima, and also a character study of the people impacted by his death—participants in a cycle of conquest, survival and death that director Reginald L. Douglas and his cast have brought to hauntingly vivid life..” – The Willamette Week

Read the full review here!

“This exciting, artist-led initiative celebrates the power of art to reflect the world back to us in poignant, powerful ways and is a reflection our organization’s deep commitment to thoughtful community engagement.” - Reginald discussing The Breath Project in DC Metro Theatre Arts

“It was freeing for actors who aren’t always the lead artist on a project,” he says. “We had seven African-American actors – a diverse group in terms of age, background, skin tone, and sexual orientation – going from the stage to the street in support of a cause that’s on people’s minds.” - Reginald discussing Studio’s March on Washington Reflections project

Read Reginald’s interview with the Washington Blade here!

“I especially enjoyed Jakeem Dante Powell, whose feelings shift like the colors of a mood ring in “Rita,” by Josh Wilder. The story of a young Black man sequestering in his apartment, it is, in part, a portrait of boredom, in which “I tried something new today” is a refrain that changes its meaning with each repetition. (Reginald L. Douglas is the deft director.) But it is also, by suggestion, about political engagement, and brings to that subject an allusive grace lacking in some other treatments of the theme.” – The New York Times

Read the full Critic’s Pick review here!

Reginald receives the National Theater Conference’s 2020 Emerging Professional Award! Read the full announcement here!

Reginald is thrilled to announce that he has been hired as the Associate Artistic Director of Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. He begins his tenure in January 2020.

Read the full press release here!

“As a night at the theater, “One Night In Miami” moves about in a finite space in one act with beautiful calculation, yet it packs a wallop.” – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Read the full rave review from Gene Collier here!

“Reginald L. Douglas directs with a sly, hidden intelligence and talent knowing exactly how to shape the work without having it looked shaped at all; this is an event that just seems to be taking place for the first time right in front of you.” – The Pittsburgh Current

Check out the full rave review for One Night in Miami… here!

“Portrayals of Black male friendship are seldom this nuanced, vulnerable, and loving, so it’s fitting that Douglas calls the play a “love letter to Black men and a celebration of all our differences, perspectives, and opinions.” There is no shortage of horror and heartbreak foreshadowed in the characters’ words, but it’s the warmth captured between these friends on this night that shines through the brightest.  ” – Pittsburgh City Paper

Check out the full review for One Night in Miami… here!

Check out Recital’s great review of One Night in Miami… here!

Hear Reginald’s thoughts on his production of One Night in Miami… on the City Speaks podcast!

“It takes history and reimagines it for the present. It tackles big themes, such as black masculinity and black legacy, and has the power of re-evaluating America’s past through a very human story.” – Reginald L. Douglas on One Night in Miami…

Check out Reginald’s full interview here!

“‘Good Grief’ At Pittsburgh Playhouse Is ‘Explosively Good!’ – Pittsburgh Current

Check out this rave review for Reginald’s production of Good Grief here!

“Ultimately, this production is less about history, and more a lesson about different groups coming together to build a community and share in a common future. In today’s fractious times, we can all use that lesson. If farmers and cowboys can be friends, surely WE can be, too. Perhaps a little more listening and a whole lot more singing and dancing with our neighbors would help. This play is over 70 years old, but this production is “brand new.” – Vermont.com

Check out the rave review Reginald’s production of Oklahoma! here!

“The refreshing Weston production, directed by Reginald L. Douglas, added new spins and turns, including new choreography, but underscoring its essence rather than changing it. It was an exciting and beautiful night.” – The Rutland Herald

Check out the rave review Reginald’s production of Oklahoma! here!

“To me, this is the magical power of theater. In this sacred space, we can come together as one Weston community and reflect upon our world as it is and as we dream for it to be!” – Reginald L. Douglas

Check out the program note for Reginald’s production of Oklahoma! here!

Check out this special video interview about Oklahoma! at Weston Playhouse!

“I wanted to tell a story in 2019 that’s rooted in history” – Reginald L. Douglas in conversation with the Rutland Herald

Read the full preview article here!

“Featuring a wonderfully diverse cast of actors and musicians, our production of the classic musical re-imagines what the fabric of a community can look, sound, and feel like with vigor, ingenuity, and an abundance of joy!” – Reginald L. Douglas

Check out the official announcement of Reginald’s production of Oklahoma! here!

“The characters are so vivid and lived-in, the acting so powerful, the script so funny and lively, the play doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel in its plot. The innovation happens elsewhere.”

Praise for The Roommate in City Paper!

Check out this great review of The Roommate at City Theatre here!

“When Jen [Silverman] wrote the play, she wanted to write roles into the theatrical canon for women who she knew but wasn’t seeing onstage, and that’s a real City Theatre mantra, to put all kinds of people—real diversity of our world—onstage for our audience,” he says. “And that includes women over fifty who may or may not sell drugs.” – Reginald L. Douglas

Check out this special feature in Pittsburgh Current for The Roommate!

“Pipeline is a superbly crafted play. Place this award-winning playwright’s efficient knot of action, characterization and poetic language in the capable hands of City Theatre’s artistic team and audiences get 90 minutes of powerful theatre that is realistic and relevant.” – Pittsburgh In The Round

Check out the full rave review here!

“You’re not likely to find a script more “of the moment” than Pipeline and Morisseau can be credited for bringing the story forward in such an urgent manner. The play is 90 minutes (without intermission) and thanks to Reginald L. Douglas’s supercharged direction the show moves with a dangerous, jittering energy.” – The Pittsburgh Current

Check out the full review for Pipeline here!

Check out this great review for Pipeline from Pittsburgh City Paper!

The title of Dominique Morisseau’s play refers to the school-to-prison pipeline that can await mostly disadvantaged or minority students as a result of zero-tolerance policies. That is the framework, certainly. But the body and soul of the work is about a family and education system in crisis, as told in a riveting production directed by Reginald Douglas for City Theatre.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Check out the rave review here!

Watch Reginald discuss Pipeline on The Pittsburgh Current‘s podcast here!

Listen to Reginald on NPR discussing DOminique Morisseau’s Pipeline here!

Check out this preview article on Pipeline from here!

“Any production of Two Trains Running can succeed only if the play’s seven actors inhabit its simple uncluttered set as a fully-blended ensemble. Gloriously, the cast of this Weston production, directed by Reginald L. Douglas, prove themselves equal to the task.” – The Chester Telegraph

Read the full rave review here!

Check out this rave review for Two Trains Running from The Berkshire Bright Focus!

“More than just creating the plot, the characters’ stories define them. In the Weston production, directed by Reginald L. Douglas, the portrayals come to life in a way that is intimate and makes them easy to care about. Without ever becoming sentimental, this a love story about everyday people, their struggles and the humor of their foibles.” – The Rutland Herald

Check out the full rave review here!

“Director Reginald L. Douglas gives full weight to the comedy Wilson embedded in the play. The production bubbles with laughter as the characters steer through their troubles with humor. But Douglas is equally adept at showing sparks of romance and building somber moments, and he has helped this ensemble work beautifully together.” – Seven Days

Read the full rave review here!

“It’s actually a wonderfully funny, rich tapestry of characters. There are lots of laughs, lots of smiles we’ve been discovering, as well as the depth of emotions.”

Check out the full article here!