Dwayne Hartford
Childsplay Artistic Director
Dwayne Hartford is the artistic director at Childsplay in Tempe, Ariz., where most of his plays for young audiences have premiered. He started at Childsplay as an actor in 1990. He thought he would be there for just one production, but 32 years later, he is still committed to Childsplay’s mission. Over the years he has directed numerous productions at Childsplay, as well as for other companies in the Phoenix area and in Maine. The first play he wrote, Eric and Elliot, received the 2005 Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance of Theatre & Education (AATE). The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane received the same award in 2018. Other plays include: Rock the Presidents, The Color of Stars, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Imaginators. Dwayne’s plays have been produced around the country, including at Seattle Children’s Theatre, Dallas Children’s Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, People’s Light and Theatre, and South Coast Repertory. Dwayne comes from the very small town of Smithfield, Maine. He earned a BFA from the Boston Conservatory, and did graduate work in directing at Boston University. Dwayne lives in Phoenix with his dog, Henry.