Terrence Spivey
Cleveland Heights
Summary
Award-winning theatre director, playwright, educator, and arts administrator with decades of experience developing productions, mentoring artists, and leading culturally significant theatre programs. Known for championing African American storytelling through drama, comedy, musicals, and new works while creating meaningful collaborations between artists, institutions, and communities across the country.
Overview
40
40
years of professional experience
Work History
Director / Professor
Allegheny College
Meadville
01.2022 - Current
- Led a residency focused on Black Theatre History and social justice in performance.
- Directed Bourbon at the Border by Pearl Cleage.
Freelance Director
Independent Productions
01.2016 - Current
- Directed productions for theatres, universities, and arts organizations throughout the Midwest and East Coast.
- Selected credits include An Ocean in My Bones, Radio Golf, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Bootycandy, and Bourbon at the Border.
- Collaborated with playwrights, actors, and producers to develop socially impactful productions.
Artistic Director
Karamu House
Cleveland
10.2003 - 02.2016
- Oversaw artistic programming, production selection, staffing, and community engagement.
- Produced and directed more than forty mainstage productions and helped launch several world premieres.
- Built partnerships with local and national arts organizations to expand audience engagement and artistic visibility.
- Mentored emerging playwrights, actors, and directors while strengthening pathways to professional opportunities.
- Directed the Off-Broadway reading of From Breast Cancer to Broadway at Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City.
- One of the nation’s oldest African American theatres.
Adjunct Professor
Kent State University
Cleveland
01.2008 - 12.2008
- Taught African American Theatre History within the Department of Theatre and Dance.
- Guided students through the Black Arts Movement and post-World War II theatre studies.
Professional Actor
AEA / AFTRA / SAG Eligible
New York
01.1986 - 12.2003
- Performed professionally in theatre, television, film, and music videos.
Founder and Director
Powerful Long Ladder Theatre Ensemble
New York
01.2001 - 12.2002
- Founded a nonprofit theatre ensemble dedicated to artistic growth and community-based performance in Harlem.
- Expanded opportunities for emerging African American and Hispanic artists and audiences.
- A nonprofit theatre ensemble dedicated to artistic growth and community-based performance in Harlem.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Theatre Arts
Prairie View A&M University
Summer Intensive - Meisner Technique
William Esper Studios
Affiliations
- Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
- The HistoryMakers – Library of Congress
- AUDELCO
- National Theatre Conference
Websites
Awards
- 2024 Dramatists Guild Foundation Visiting Voices Ambassador
- Color of Change Preserving Truth in Education Award
- Who’s Who in Black Cleveland
- Cleveland Scene Best Director
- Alan Schneider Award Nominee
- Ohio Governor’s Award for the Arts Nominee
- Theodore Ward Prize for African American Playwriting Finalist
Publications And Features
- Featured in Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Cleveland Scene
- Ebony
- American Theatre
- PBS NewsHour
- Black Theatre Magazine
- And other regional and national publications.
Selected Directing Credits
- Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
- The Wiz
- Fences
- Bootycandy
- Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
- The Color Purple
- Crowns
- Radio Golf
- Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act
- The Shadow Box
- Bee-luther-hatchee
- The Blacks: A Clown Show
- Bourbon at the Border
- Live Bodies for Sale
- An Ocean in My Bones
Timeline
Director / Professor
Allegheny College
01.2022 - Current
Freelance Director
Independent Productions
01.2016 - Current
Adjunct Professor
Kent State University
01.2008 - 12.2008
Artistic Director
Karamu House
10.2003 - 02.2016
Founder and Director
Powerful Long Ladder Theatre Ensemble
01.2001 - 12.2002
Professional Actor
AEA / AFTRA / SAG Eligible
01.1986 - 12.2003
Bachelor of Arts - Theatre Arts
Prairie View A&M University
Summer Intensive - Meisner Technique
William Esper Studios