Director | reenadutt

about me

I am a born Jersey Girl by way of North Carolina and Arizona. You would think being raised in two of the reddest states at the time, my experience would be one filled with anger, as the child of immigrants.

Despite the stereotypes given to my childhood towns, Charlotte and Chandler, I was consistently surrounded by kindness of our American community. Our neighbors on Painted Tree Road were caring, loving people, and we truly did live the white picket fence life...because of them. You would think we were a United Colors of Benetton ad when we were busy playing in the dirt on our Huffy bikes. In Chandler, even if our neighbors were making bullets in the garage, they were also looking out for us in times of need.

This is the world I grew up in. I refuse to apologize for it. When my parents came to this country with nothing, they brought with them open minds and hearts, and attracted a wealth of like minded human beings into their new life. I am a product of them, and as I self analyze, it makes sense why I gravitate to the work I do - theatre and film that challenges and celebrates the infinite circumstances of human experience.

Difference can pull people apart, but what if it brought us together because of a shared exploration of the unknown? What if the good, bad and ugly in our art disarmed us into learning something new about one another? I hope I can achieve this through my passion in theatre and film - it's the best way I know how.

RECENT AND UPCOMING:

2021 TBA

SITAYANA by Lavina Jadhwani | EAST WEST PLAYERS (FULL ONLINE PRODUCTION)

JALDEE by Ayesha Siddiqui | THE VAGRANCY (ONLINE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP)

THIS IS NOT A TRUE STORY by Preston Choi | ARTISTS AT PLAY (FULL PRODUCTION)

Playing Online in November:

IF I SHOULD WAKE, by multple authors | GREENWAY COURT THEATRE (ONLINE)

LATimes Critic Pic:

ANTIGONE, PRESENTED BY THE GIRLS OF ST. CATHERINE'S by Madhuri Shekar | SACRED FOOLS THEATRE CO.

theatre

Reena Dutt is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab (New York City), Directors Lab West (Los Angeles), and a Semi Finalist for Drama League's New York Directing Fellowship.

In December 2019 she closed the world premier of DEFENDERS by Cailin Harrison at The Broadwater, and in March 2020, she opened the West Coast Premier of ANTIGONE, PRESENTED BY THE GIRLS OF ST. CATHERINE’S by Madhuri Shekar on the Sacred Fools stage. Right before Critics Pic was publicly announced after opening weekend, the play was flung into Covid-virus abyss (incredibly Shakespearean of the world at large).

Prior to that she Assistant Directed for Jo Bonney at The Geffen Playhouse on Jose Rivera’s world premier of THE UNTRANSLATABLE SECRETS OF NIKKI CORONA, and Drama League's Jennifer Chang on the Fountain Theatre's Los Angeles premier of HANNAH AND THE DREAD GAZEBO.

She has directed at A Noise Within in conjunction with East West Players (staged reading of SNOW IN MIDSUMMER by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig), the Road Theatre (staged reading of KISSING CHE by Augusto Federico Amador), and Sacred Fools (staged reading of MONKEY LOVE by Madhuri Shekar).

Dutt also directs for film and television and has an extensive producing history. She is a graduate of the Media Arts program at the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the acting program at William Esper Studio, New York. Most important, Dutt is a city girl with a country soul who creates with a conscience, on and off screen and stage.