Sheldon Epps facts for kids

Sheldon Epps is a talented American director. He directs both TV shows and plays for the theater. He was born on November 15, 1952.

Sheldon Epps's Journey in Directing

Early Life and First Steps

Sheldon Epps was born in Los Angeles, California. When he was 11 years old, his family moved to Teaneck, New Jersey. He went to public schools there. It was at Teaneck High School that he first became interested in the stage and acting. After high school, he studied at Carnegie Mellon University, graduating in 1973.

He started his career as an actor. He learned and performed at places like the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He also helped start a group called The Production Company. With this group, he directed many plays.

Directing for the Stage

In 1980, Sheldon Epps directed his first musical, Blues in the Night. This show was performed Off-Broadway, which means in a smaller theater in New York City. It was so popular that it moved to Broadway in 1982. Broadway is where the biggest and most famous plays are shown.

Since then, he has directed many other plays on Broadway and in theaters across the country. Some of these plays include Scenes and Revelations, Play On!, Blue, and Purlie.

Moving to Television

In 1994, Sheldon Epps started directing for television. His first TV job was an episode of a show called Evening Shade. After that, he directed episodes for many popular TV shows.

You might know some of them! He directed episodes of Smart Guy, Sister, Sister, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Friends. He also worked on Girlfriends and George Lopez. He even directed two episodes of "Frasier" in 2024.

Leading a Theater

In 1997, Sheldon Epps became the artistic director of the Pasadena Playhouse. This is a very important job, like being the main leader of a theater. The Playhouse had faced some money problems in the past. But Sheldon Epps worked hard to make theater popular there again.

In 2020, he took on another important role. He became the Senior Artistic Advisor at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.. This theater is famous because it's where Abraham Lincoln was shot.

His Book

Sheldon Epps also wrote a book about his life and career. It's called MY OWN DIRECTIONS. This book became a best-seller when it was published in September 2022.

Sheldon Epps's Directing Work