Emily Hawkins is a freelance director, theatre critic, and overall theatre creator, who has recently moved to London to pursue her Masters in Directing at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. After graduating in 2020 from the University of Southern California, Magna Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a double minor in Political Science and Musical Theatre, she moved to New York City.

While in New York, Emily found herself in the unexpected position of Covid Safety Supervisor for various Broadway workshops, auditions, and rehearsals, and eventually the Broadway production of Wicked! While Covid Safety Managing, she not only took advantage of the vast resources surrounding her to expand her theatrical education through shadowing various departments at the show, but she also found time to continue pursuing her passion of directing. Emily directed her first fully staged play in New York in May of 2023 at the New York Theater Festival, with Tyler Miclean’s Bad Sister.

Pursuing the belief that theatre should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, Emily is always searching for creative and provocative projects to dive into. Since departing Wicked, Emily has been working as an Associate General Manager at Aaron Grant Theatrical, where she has assisted in managing Tawni O’Dell’s critically acclaimed production of Pay the Writer, and Tom Sweitzer’s New York premiere of his One-Man-Show, 20 Seconds.

Her previous directing credits include The Last Five Years and The Duchess of Malfi at USC. She also assistant directed The Caucasian Chalk Circle,winner of 5 LA Drama Critic Awards, at Antaeus Theatre Company. Regional Theaters she’s worked with in California include Antaeus Theatre Company, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, CalShakes and Pacific Resident Theatre.

To learn more about Emily, please explore her portfolio pages.