Artist Bio

Liesl Tommy is an award-winning international theater director and director of the highly anticipated MGM biopic Respect, based on the life of Aretha Franklin starring Jennifer Hudson. She is also the director of the upcoming film Born a Crime, based on Trevor Noah’s best-selling memoir, starring Lupita Nyong’o. Tommy directed the world premiere of Eclipsed on Broadway, for which she was Tony Award-nominated for Best Direction of a Play. She will make her Goodman Theatre directorial debut with the world premiere musical adaption of The Outsiders.