You Can't Fake the Funk
A high-energy journey through funk that earned an African American Arts Award, a Black Theatre Alliance Award, and a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical/Revue.
Learn MoreAward-Winning Director · Writer · Producer
Daryl D.
Brooks
Artistic Director, Black Ensemble Theater
Chicago · American Theater
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50+
Productions Directed
20+
Years at Black Ensemble Theater
9
Joseph Jefferson Award Nominations
150
Seats in the New Studio Theater
2026
Named Artistic Director
3×
Newcity Stage "Players 50" Honoree
A Legacy of Storytelling
Two decades shaping Chicago theater.
For more than twenty years, Daryl D. Brooks has helped shape Chicago theater through award-winning productions, visionary leadership, and a lifelong commitment to celebrating Black culture through the performing arts.
From the box office to the director's chair to the Artistic Director's office, his journey at the Black Ensemble Theater is itself a story of American theater — one built night after night, production after production, in service of the audience.
Featured Productions
The work speaks from the stage.
Men of Soul
The hit revue honoring the men who defined soul music — a Jeff Award nominee and National Black Theater Festival selection, revived June 20 – August 2, 2026.
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The Color Purple
Brooks' staging of the beloved musical, part of a directing portfolio that spans Memphis!, Dreamgirls, and stages across Chicago.
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Reasons: A Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire
An electric tribute to one of music's most joyful catalogs, in the signature Black Ensemble revue tradition.
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Women of Soul
A powerhouse celebration of the women who shaped soul music, from gospel roots to the top of the charts.
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Hitt Records
An original musical, premiered at the Black Ensemble Theater — a world premiere critics called "an absolute knockout."
Learn MoreThe Journey
From the house to the helm.
The Beginning
Performer
A young artist finds his voice on Chicago stages.
Early 2000s
Joins Black Ensemble Theater
Starting at the box office — learning the theater from the ground up.
The Climb
House Manager
Every night with the audience. Every night learning what moves them.
The Craft
Associate Director
Directing alongside founder Jackie Taylor, building an award-winning body of work.
The Leadership
Producing Managing Director
Guiding productions from page to stage — over 50 of them across Chicago.
2026
Artistic Director
Named Artistic Director in the theater's 50th anniversary year.
Fall 2026
Studio Theater Launch
Opening a new 150-seat home for new works and emerging voices.
The Future
Free to BE Village
Helping lead a generational expansion of the Black Ensemble campus in Uptown.
The creative force behind so many of the theater's wonderful, effervescent productions over the past twenty years.
— Chicago Theatre Review, 2026
Current Leadership
Serving the legacy of Black Ensemble Theater.
As Artistic Director, Brooks is honored to serve alongside founder and CEO Jackie Taylor — guiding the 50th anniversary season, programming the new 150-seat Studio Theater, championing new play development, and supporting Taylor's vision for the Free to BE Village, a $76 million cultural campus rising in Uptown.
Professional Inquiries
Bring this experience to your stage.
Guest directing. Speaking engagements. Interviews. Workshops.