Psst.. I'm available for commissioned playwriting, directing and dramaturgy projects! Reach out to me at denisetheatre@aol.com

Welcome!

Hi there! I'm Denise J. Hart, a  multi-hyphenate scholar and creative raised in the midwest.  I'm a bit of a globe trotter, which means I'll work pretty much anywhere a story takes me!  

As a professor at Howard University I've helped shape the lives of hundreds of young people through my role as area coordinator for writing for stage and screen with a focus on playwriting  and TV Scriptwriting, in the Department of Theatre Arts.

While you're here, please check out my work:  research, playwriting, TV Scriptwriting/Play Development and Production dramaturgy and  directingPlus, Student Success to see how my former students are making an impact in the world!

For fun I love family history and genealogy. Check out my 30 second ancestory.com commercials - One which focuses on Howard University and Two which focus on my family's role in post Black Reconstruction!

Scroll down to  learn about the projects I'm working on and where I'll show up next in the world. Hey, you never know, maybe we'll bump into each other! 

Cheers,

Denise Joy, MFA

Howard Players Theatre History Archive is a publicly accessible digital humanities research project that documents the Howard Players theatrical production from 2019-1909.

This research repository makes public for the first time a comprehensive digitized snapshot of the evolution of the Howard Players theatrical production spanning more than 100 years. 

2025/2026 Submissions accepted June 2-6, 2025

CLICK HERE for more info 

Recent Projects

Awarded mini-grant 2025 ACLS HBCU Fellowship Finalist! 

For my proposed project, Decolonizing the Curriculum Through Black Power: Howard Players Theatre History 1969-1979

ZORA written by Laurence Holder, Directed by Denise J. Hart
CSPAN - "Written Then, Spoken Now" produced by Ford's Theatre Dramaturge/Director Denise J. Hart

Memberships