Liesl Tommy facts for kids

Liesl Tommy is a talented director from South Africa and America. She is mostly known for her amazing work in theatre. Liesl made history as the first woman of color to be nominated for a Tony Award for directing a play. This was for the Broadway show Eclipsed in 2017. She also directed an episode of the TV series The Walking Dead called "Chokepoint". Her first movie as a director was Respect. This film is about the life of the famous singer Aretha Franklin and stars Jennifer Hudson. It was released in August 2021.

Early Life and Discovering Theatre

Liesl Tommy was born in Cape Town, South Africa. This was during a time called apartheid. Apartheid was a system where people were separated and treated unfairly because of their race. Her family lived in a township called Factreton. Her father was a high school teacher. He was also very active against the apartheid government.

In 1985, the South African government declared a state of emergency. Because of this, Liesl's family moved to the United States. Her father had studied in the US before. They moved to Boston when Liesl was 15 years old. She went to Newton North High School. She was one of the few black students there. Liesl shared that she found a way to connect with others through theatre in high school. It became her main focus.

After high school, Liesl studied acting in London. When she came back to Boston, she worked as a teacher. She helped families in the Roxbury area.

A Career in Directing

Liesl Tommy has directed many plays across the United States. She has worked at famous theatres like Center Stage in Baltimore and Dallas Theater Center in Texas. She also directed plays at California Shakespeare Theater and La Jolla Playhouse.

Bringing Stories to Life

Liesl is known for giving classic plays a fresh look. She often uses her own life experiences to make the stories feel new. Her directing style is very active and strong. She is interested in showing the powerful emotions of being human on stage.

Liesl's background as an actor helps her direct. She spends a lot of time helping actors understand their characters. She wants the actors to feel free on stage. Liesl explained her goal as a director. She said her job is to take the audience on an unforgettable journey. She wants to make the story as exciting as possible. She always has a clear vision for her shows.

Championing Diversity in Theatre

Liesl Tommy has made it her mission to support more diverse theatre. She wants to see different kinds of people and stories on stage. For example, in 2012, she directed Hamlet. This play featured many African-American actors. This included the main roles of Hamlet and Ophelia.

She has also directed plays by famous writers. These include August Wilson's The Piano Lesson and Lynn Nottage's Ruined.

Directing Big Productions

One of her famous remakes was Les Misérables in 2014. She directed this musical at the Dallas Theater Center. This production had a cast with many different races. It explored ideas of African political protests and social justice. Liesl had never seen Les Misérables before directing it. But she read the book when she was young. She wanted to tell a story about student uprisings. Growing up in South Africa, she saw many political and social protests. She brought these experiences into her production.

Liesl believes that theatre should be meaningful. She thinks it should "change you." Her work shows this belief. One of her most recent plays was Eclipsed. It was written by Danai Gurira. The play tells the story of five Liberian women. They are trying to survive at the end of a war. This production starred Lupita Nyong'o. It was the first Broadway play with an all-female cast and director. Liesl received a Tony Award nomination for directing Eclipsed. This made her the first African-American female director to be nominated for a best directing award for a play at the Tonys.

Her directing work also includes a stage version of Disney's animated film Frozen. She directed this at Disneyland in California. Liesl also directed the movie Respect. It is about the life of singer Aretha Franklin. Jennifer Hudson plays Franklin in the movie.

Awards and Recognition

• 2014: Obie Award, Direction for Appropriate, Winner
• 2016: Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director for Eclipsed, Winner
• 2016: Tony Award, Best Direction of a Play for Eclipsed, Nominee