Daniel is a Queer director and educator.

Daniel Sappington (he/him) is a theatre maker passionate to share stories that center Queer voices, particularly those that amplify the experience of Queer Youth. It is his belief that for too long we have created theatre about Queer Youth rather than for them and that now, more than ever, this community must see the beauty and nuance of their existence celebrated onstage. In addition to staging existing texts created for this audience, Daniel revels in the process of adapting and devising new stage works inspired by literature.

But don’t let that keep you from bringing him on to direct your next production of Long Day’s Journey into Night, for he knows that queerness can be found in even the most normative of stories and delights in showing audiences that we’re all a little bit queer.

Daniel’s work is also guided by a focus on eco-sustainability in theatre. In a world with rapidly dwindling resources, he believes that the question, “Why this play, now?” must account for the raw materials consumed by a given production. He is excited to collaborate with artists as passionate as he about recycling, scavenging, reusing, and upcycling production materials.

In addition to directing, Daniel is an educator. While pursuing his MFA in Directing at Indiana University, he has served as an Associate Instructor of Theatre. In this role, he has had the great joy of teaching acting to undergraduates. He has also directed several productions that showcase the range and depth of IU’s BA, BFA, and MFA student actors.

Prior to pursuing his MFA, Daniel trained at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, from which he holds a BFA in Acting. He has also worked with storefront theatres across Chicago and is excited to bring his experience and zeal for storytelling to any space, with any budget. Past productions includeThe Beauty Queen of Leenane (Three Crows Theatre), Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (IU), The Mystery Plays (IU), And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens (IU), Grindrd (The Arc Theatre), Outpost (Otherworld Theatre), and Seminar (Spartan Theatre) among others.

Daniel is a cat person and an avid baker, and resides in Chicago with his partner and frequent collaborator, scenic designer Spencer Donovan (https://www.designsbysdonovan.com/).