Ten Chimneys Foundation hosts director and author Sheldon Epps
Photo by Yvonne Kemp
On Sunday, December 11, 2022, Ten Chimneys Foundation hosted a conversation with director and author Sheldon Epps at the Milwaukee County Historical Society, 910 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Epps discussed his life and journey as told in his book,”My Own Directions, A Black Man’s Journey in American Theatre,” highlights the successes and challenges of being the one, often the only, black on a project. From his life in the theater, having directed numerous plays around the US, in London, and on Broadway, he conceived and directed both the Duke Ellington musical, Play On (which received three Tony Award nominations) and the highly acclaimed musical revue, Blues in the Night (also nominated for a Tony Award), and has directed the plays Unchain My Heart, Purlie, Showtune, Blue, The Importance of Being Earnest, Les Liaisons of Dangereuses, and As Bees In Honey Drown, among others. On the small screen, Sheldon directed many episodes of great hit shows of the 1990s and 2000s (Everyone Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friends, Sister/Sister, Girlfriends and more) and the current Netflix success, The Upshaws. He served as Artistic Director of the Pasadena Playhouse for two decades and is currently Senior Artistic Advisor for Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC. Pictured at the event (from left) are Celeste Gore, Cecelia Gore, Randy Bryant, Sheldon Epps, Tosha Freeman, Florida Perry-Smith and Adrienne Waters.
