Emily Hartford is a director, writer-deviser, artistic leader, educator, performer, and puppet designer.

Emily creates theatre, media, and interactive performance that’s seeking wonder and embodied wildness. Her work is rooted in deep, joyful collaboration to create transformative moments, liberating processes, and visions for the future. Emily fosters inventive spaces where all team members create together as generative artists, and audiences are invited to become imaginative collaborators.

as a Director

Emily is a Drama League Directing Fellow and a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. She has directed for Flux Theatre Ensemble, the Hangar Theatre, Atlantic Acting School/NYU-Tisch, Judson Arts, Abrons Arts Center, TheaterWorks USA, Hofstra University, the Access Theatre, The One Minute Play Festival, Writopia Worldwide Plays Festival, Primary Stages ESPA, Badass Lady Productions, and more. See Directing production pages for further detail on projects.

as an Educator

Emily is honored to be in regular collaboration with the next generation of world-shifting artists. She serves as Lead Seminar Teacher in the Advanced Training Program for Playwrights Horizons Theater School/NYU-Tisch. She’s also directed productions for Atlantic Acting School-NYU/Tisch and Hofstra University.

as an Artistic Leader with Flux

Emily is a Creative Partner with Flux Theatre Ensemble. Flux has created dozens of productions in New York City, primarily New York and world premieres. She’s been a collaborator on the development of Flux’s “aesthetic of liberation” and institutional commitment to shared power and consensus-based leadership. Emily has collaborated with Flux since 2014, and became a Creative Partner in 2016.

as a Writer-Deviser

She is also a generator of devised/collaboratively-created theatre, including the interactive telephone experience Our Options Have Changed; the full-length play Metra: A Climate Revolution with Songs (with Ned Hartford); and the short works Las Sombras (with Annabel Guevara) and Mother of Exiles (Flux’s Breathe Free immigrant justice project).

as a Performer

Emily is also an accomplished performer, whose work critics have called “powerful,” “impassioned and chilling,” “deeply moving.”

as a Puppet Designer + Puppeteer

And, she’s been known to make puppets!

Grantee of The Puffin Foundation, 2018