Photo courtesy of Mika Larson Photography.​​
Reena Dutt is a New York and bicoastal director of theatre, film and audio. She is known for carving lived-in relationships while inviting cultural nuance in unexpected ways. She brings with her a 1st Generation American point-of-view having roots in the Carolinas, South Asia and Arizona -- all of which gave her faith in humanity.
Her films as a director and producer have screened at Sundance, LAFF, Outfest, Frameline, Cucalorous, NBCUniversal, BET, PBS/Latino and HBO. Notable collaborations as a producer include Lulu Wang, John Legend and Tanuj Chopra.
In theatre, her Broadway debut was at MTC on The Collaboration starring Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope, led by Kwame Kwei Armah. She has directed/developed regionally at The Public, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, ART, East West Players, Central Square, and Theatre Mu to name a few, and she credits her mentor, Jo Bonney, for demonstrating that kindness and collaboration creates memorable leadership.
She is an alumn of AFI DWW+, Project Involve | Film Independent, Drama League and Lincoln Center Directors Lab (New York City), and a fellow with SFFilm, TAP, and LA Performance Practice.
Dedicated to new and reimagined texts that make us question our
own beliefs through stories by (and with) the under-heard.
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Reena Dutt (SDC) is a New York based director of theatre, film and audio. On Broadway she worked at MTC on The Collaboration starring Paul Bettany, Jeremy Pope, Krysta Rodriguez and Erik Jensen, led by Kwame Kwei Armah. Off-Broadway she worked at NYTW, The Public, and Playwrights Realm, and she began her career assisting Jo Bonney at The Geffen. She has directed on regional and LORT stages and predominantly develops and directs new plays. She has a deep respect for theatres across the nation that serve their local communities while developing new talent, building stories around future audiences for growth and sustainability. She is a Drama League New York Directing Fellow, a Lincoln Center Directors Lab Participant, and an LA Performance Practice fellow.
New York: DirectorFest (A.R.T. New York, Drama League), development at The Public, Playwrights Realm, New Dramatists. Regional: GUARDS AT THE TAJ by Rajiv Joseph (Chester Theatre Company), AMERICAN FAST by Kareem Fahmy (Constellations Screen and Stage), THE HOMBRES by Tony Meneses (Artists Repertory Theatre), REFUGEE RHAPSODY by Yussef El Guindi (S/R, Artists Repertory Theatre). West Coast: Chalk Repertory Theatre, CalArts, Artists At Play/Latino Theatre Company, UC Riverside, Greenway Court Theatre, East West Players/Hypocrit/EnActe, Sacred Fools. Assistant/Associate Director: NYTW (dir. Leigh Silverman), Manhattan Theatre Club (dir. Kwame Kwai-Armah), The Public (dir. Candis Jones), The Fountain Theatre/EWP (dir. Jennifer Chang), Geffen Playhouse (dir. Jo Bonney). Development: #CHARLOTTESVILLE by Priyanka Shetty, HORSEGIRL&COWDADDY by DJ Hills (7 Devils), BEAUTIFUL BLESSED CHILD by Daria Miyeko Marinelli (7 Devils), I WILL BE YOU by India Kotis (IAMA), BRUISED by Vivienne Glance (Playwrights Realm), UNTITLED ELEGY PLAY (New Dramatists). Fellowships: LA Performance Practice, Drama League NY Directing Fellow, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, Directors Lab West.
Dutt is also a film director and an AFI DWW+ participant, having screened films at over 80 festivals worldwide including Sundance, LAFF, Outfest, Frameline, Cucalorous, NBCUniversal, BET, PBS/Latino and HBO. She is an AFI DWW+ participant. Her short film, FOUND, brings voice to transracial adoption through fictional storytelling from the adoptee’s point of view, and is currently touring the festival circuit in conjunction with private events with adoption organizations across the country. Dutt directed TOO MANY BODIES, a socially driven music and dance piece advocating for gun reform, which was picked up by NoRAnow.org and Survivors Empowered and received numerous awards in music video and social justice categories. She directed 3 PUFFS OF GOLD, a magical realism piece about domestic violence, and was a finalist for New Filmmakers Los Angeles: On Location competition with her film "SNAPSHOT!" (2011) which explored Angelinos and their diverse roots. Notable collaborations as a producer include Lulu Wang, John Legend, Tanuj Chopra and Ravi Kapoor. Film Fellowships: Project Involve at Film Independent, SFFilm KRF Producing Fellowship, and Trans Atlantic Partners with the Goethe Institut (Berlin).