Darren J. Butler is a distinguished theatre practitioner, educator, and author currently serving as the Theatre Teacher at Baldwin County High School (BCHS). With a career spanning over three decades in the arts and education, Butler combines professional industry experience with a dedication to student literacy and artistic development.

Education and Credentials

Butler holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Point Park University and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. His professional standing is further distinguished by his admittance into the Writers Guild of America (WGA) following the optioning of his television pilot Succession by NBC/Universal in 2006.

Work in Education

At Baldwin County High School, Butler leads the theatre program, where he directs student productions and prepares students for state and regional competitions, including the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC). Under his direction, the BCHS theatre program has achieved recognition for productions such as The Last Mile, which advanced to represent Alabama at the SETC Secondary One Act Festival.

His background in education extends well beyond the drama classroom. Butler has significant experience as an educational consultant, specifically in literacy and writing assessment.

• Curriculum Development: He founded Virtual Village Classroom and created Weekly Writer, an online curriculum resource designed to help teachers improve student writing skills.

• Assessment Training: He authored the professional book Countdown to Assessment, which trained teachers to prepare students for the Alabama Direct Assessment on Writing. His consulting work has been credited with helping Alabama schools significantly raise their writing and reading comprehension scores.

• Previous Roles: Prior to joining BCHS, Butler served as the Fine Arts Director and theatre teacher for Orange Beach High School and Middle School, and taught theatre in Florence City Schools.

Theatre Practitioner: Director & Playwright

Butler is an active professional in the theatre industry, serving as the Artistic Director for The Gulf Coast Rep. His work as a director and playwright includes:

• Directing: For twenty-one years, he directed the internationally recognized production of The Miracle Worker at Helen Keller’s Birthplace, the official outdoor drama for the state of Alabama.

• Playwriting: His stage musicals, including Runaway Home (co-written with Judy Rodman) and We The People, have been produced nationally. Runaway Home recently had an industry reading at Theatre Row in New York City. Another work, Out of the Blue, was a semi-finalist for the prestigious Eugene O'Neill production award.

• Film & Screenwriting: He wrote and directed the short film A Fix and has had screenplays such as Teddy and The Last Mile recognized as finalists in film festivals.

In addition to his stage and screen work, Butler is the author of the Abbie, Girl Spy children's book series and the biography Helen Keller: Leader Without Sight or Sound.