Education
Biography
Monica Payne (she/her) is a theatre and film director, whose work lives at the intersection of bold physicality, deep emotion, and ritual. She most recently directed Hedda Gabler for the Artistic Home in Chicago, and her film, Mimi, premiered at the New Orleans film festival in 2025. She is currently co-authoring the 8th edition of Play Directing: Analysis, Communication, and Style, which will be published in 2028.
She has directed throughout the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh and her devised piece on global displacement, Song of Home, toured to Poland and Moldova. She’s a member of SDC, The Lincoln Center Director's Lab, Director’s Lab West, and recently attended the LaMama Umbria Directing Symposium. As a former actress, she has worked with many prestigious companies, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
Payne holds an MFA in Directing from the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, and has been a Meisner-based acting teacher for over 20 years. She has taught for UCLA, Point Park, and Carnegie Mellon, as well as at independent studios/programs throughout the country, including the School at Steppenwolf.
She is an Associate Professor/Head of Directing in the Theatre and Dance Department and Practicing Faculty in Digital Media Practices. In the spring of 2027, she will direct Numb at Tulane.