Pirronne Yousefzadeh

Pirronne Yousefzadeh (She/Her/Hers) is a director, writer, and educator, and was recently appointed Associate Artistic Director and Director of Engagement at Geva Theatre Center. Additionally, Pirronne is a founding member of Maia Directors, a consulting group for artists and organizations engaging with stories from the Middle East and beyond. 

Recent projects include the world premiere of Kid Prince & Pablo by Brian Quijada (The Kennedy Center), A Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Once (Pioneer Theatre Company, the world premiere of Heartland by Gabriel Jason Dean (Geva Theatre Center), Utopia Minnesota by Meg Miroshnik (2016 Sagal Fellowship, Williamstown Theatre Festival), That High Lonesome Sound (Actors Theatre of Louisville; 2015 Humana Festival) and We Are Proud To Present A Presentation... by Jackie Sibblies Drury (InterAct Theatre Company). Her productions of The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane by Jen Silverman (InterAct Theater Company) and In The Blood (Theatre Horizon) together received a total of fifteen Barrymore Award nominations, including Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Overall Production for both. And If You Lose Your Way, or A Food Odyssey (Invisible Dog) received nominations for Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Performance Art Production from New York Innovative Theatre Awards. 

She has directed and developed work at The Public/Joe's Pub, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, Ars Nova, Soho Rep, Atlantic Theater Company, Ma-Yi Theater Company, Rising Circle Theater Collective, The Woodshed Collective (The Tenant: Best of 2011, The L Magazine), Partial Comfort Productions, Noor Theatre, Rising Phoenix Rep, HERE Arts Center, La Mama, New York Musical Theatre Festival, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Wild Project, Dixon Place, The Living Theatre, The Lark Play Development Center, New Dramatists, The Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, American Conservatory Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center, Pioneer Theatre Company, Huntington Theatre Company, Two River Theater Company, Milwaukee Rep, Kitchen Theatre Company, Dorset Theatre Festival, InterAct Theatre Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, On The Boards, Perseverance Theatre, Berkshire Fringe Festival, Walnut Street Theatre, and Hangar Theatre, where she was a 2006 Drama League Directing Fellow.

Pirronne is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, New Georges Affiliated Artist, member of Ensemble Studio Theatre and Wingspace, and an alumna of the 2050 Fellowship at NYTW, Sagal Fellowship at Williamstown Theatre Festival,  SDC Denham Fellowship, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, Ensemble Studio Theatre's Resident Director Program, New Georges Jam, and Drama League Directors Project. She has been a guest artist at the UCSB Summer Theater Lab, led by Naomi Iizuka, and has taught for education programs at McCarter Theatre, Two River Theater Company and Play Group Theatre. She has served on the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, Rutgers University, and Bard High School Early College, and as a guest director at Yale School of Drama, Juilliard, Fordham University, among others.

Pirronne received her M.F.A. in Directing from Columbia University, where she was a Shubert Presidential Fellow and Matthews Fellowship recipient. She studied with Anne Bogart, Robert Woodruff, and Brian Kulick, and directed Big Love by Charles L. Mee, Fool for Love by Sam Shepard, and several devised pieces. She was also among five directors chosen to take part in a course in collaboration at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, taught by Oskar Eustis and Rinne Groff.  She completed additional training at Shakespeare's Globe in London, and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Theatre and English Literature from Washington University.

Current and upcoming: Queen by Madhuri Shekar (Geva Theatre Center), The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Vietgone by Qui Nguyen (Geva Theatre Center). Member, SDC.