“Over 40 years of making theater, my goal has been the same: to alter the consciousness of each audience member by telling a story with such a fresh and passionate point of view that the shared experience will change their perspective in some way.

Gathering community in person to pretend, play, and share stories is vital. In this moment, live theater should be nimble, radically inclusive, and available to everyone.

At our best, theater-makers lead revolutions, launch movements, and change societies. Let’s do that!”

– Joel Ferrell

Director. Choreographer. Educator. Consultant.

JOEL FERRELL currently serves as Professor of Practice in Theatre and Inaugural Director of the Sexton Institute for Musical Theatre.

Joel Ferrell is a veteran director, choreographer, producer, and consultant. Ferrell has directed and choreographed for theatres across the United States, including Dallas Theater Center, Denver Center Theater, Portland Center Stage, North Shore Music Theater, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, and Lyric Theater of Oklahoma.

Ferrell is the former Associate Artistic Director of the Dallas Theater Center (2011-2019), where he directed productions of Romeo and Juliet, Cabaret (starring Wade McCollum), Dividing the Estate (starring June Squibb), Dreamgirls (starring Marisha Wallace), and Frankenstein (in a co-production with Meadows School of the Arts). For the Dallas Theater Center, he served as a producer on new musicals including Fortress of Solitude by Micheal Freidman and Itamar Moses, Giant by Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson, and Fly by Rajiv Joseph and Bill Sherman, and directed by Broadway producer/director Jeffrey Seller. Ferrell is the recipient of the Linda and Bill Custard Award for his body of work in theater.

As Artistic Director of Casa Manana Musicals (Fort Worth, TX; 1996 to 2001) Ferrell directed productions of Once on This Island, Carousal, Rocky Horror Show, Oklahoma, The King and I, and Sleuth, among many others. Ferrell is currently Director in Residence for Theatre Three in Dallas where he has directed Blake Hackler’s new adaptation of The Seagull. Other Dallas/Fort Worth directing credits include Trinity Shakespeare Festival, Second Thought Theater’s Necessities by Blake Hackler (world premiere) and Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph (regional premiere), as well as regional premieres for Stage West and Circle Theatre.

Ferrell’s acting credits include Broadway National tours, regional theater, television, and film. His experience as a theater producer and creator has made him a valuable resource for non-profit and commercial organizations in their efforts to re-envision mission, purpose, and programming. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and a proud member of Society of Directors and Choreographers and Actor’s Equity Association.