My guest is Sheldon Epps who is one of the all-time most influential African-American theatre leaders, as well as a prolific director of television. He’s directed on Broadway, the West End, and is the director of the upcoming BET+ movie Christmas Party Crashers. He received the NAACP Community Service Award and the prestigious James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for his many accomplishments. His new book, a memoir, is titled: MY OWN DIRECTIONS A Black Man's Journey in the American Theatre. Mr. Epps is a long-time member of the Executive Board of the Society of Directors and Choreographers and served as Chair of the SDC Foundation Board of Trustees. He is also on the board of the Ten Chimneys Foundation. Mr. Epps is a two-time recipient of the Theatre Communications Group/Pew Charitable Trust National Theatre Artists Residency Grant. Currently, he is honored to serve as Senior Artistic Advisor at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC.