Rebecca Willingham (she/her) is a director. She graduated from the MFA Directing program The Theatre School at DePaul University, where she recently directed Indecent, Do You Feel Anger?, Much Ado About Nothing, and the world premiere of Pieces That Remain by Grace Lowry. Rebecca directed Sam Steiner’s Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons as an Instagram play after the live production at The Theatre School was canceled due to the pandemic. She created, and executive produced Season 1 of Survivor: The Theatre School, an online reality competition show. Rebecca recently directed a new production of Seagulls by Beth Hyland at Oak Park Festival Theatre.
In 2015, Rebecca co-founded The Sound with playwright Beth Hyland. With The Sound she directed Fleetwood Mac: The Album: The Musical, Seagulls (The Sound at Steppenwolf LookOut), Killed a Man (Joking) (in collaboration with First Floor Theater), Symphony for Six Jonis, Red Bowl at the Jeffs, and For Annie. Rebecca also co-produced The Sound’s Valentine’s Plays and Independence Plays festivals. She directed work with Dandelion Theatre, Commission Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, Tympanic Theatre, The Ruckus, Prologue Theatre, 20% Theatre, and Rabid Bat Theatricals. Rebecca’s assistant-directing credits include the world premiere of Twilight Bowl by Rebecca Gilman at the Goodman Theatre, as well as productions at Chicago Opera Theater, American Theater Company, Griffin Theatre, Theater Wit, Route 66, Steep Theatre, and the Irish Theatre of Chicago. She is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and the 2016-2017 SDCF Observership Class. Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, Rebecca is an alumna of The Theatre School at DePaul University, Emerson College and the National Theatre Institute.