Raelle is the Co-Founder of Azuka Theatre in Philadelphia now
in its tenth year. After attending Ealing College of Humanities in
London, Raelle received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of Southern California. While in San Francisco, she
began producing plays independently leading her to pursue
production at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco,
Seattle Repertory Theater, and the Arden Theater Company in
Philadelphia. Raelle moved to Philadelphia and co-founded Azuka
Theatre Collective (now known as Azuka Theater) creating/producing
diverse, non-tradtional theatre pieces which encouraged the
integration of artists from many artistic disciplines, ethnicities
and cultures. Shortly after, Raelle was awarded a two-year grant,
the NEA/TCG Career Development Award for Directing.
As an awardee of the two-year grant had the opportunity to
work with tony award winners George C. Wolfe and Doug Hughes
allowing Ms. Myrick-Hodges to cultivate a new understanding of
contemporary theater. During this time, she worked with theater
companies such as NYSF/The Public Theater, Philadelphia Theater
Company, McCarter Theater, and, Azuka Theatre.
As an Independence Foundation Awardee, she created a new work,
"An Artist's Workshop." She was (with creator Alden Moore)
was nominated for 'Outstanding New Play" for this work.
Raelle has also directed the works of Naomi Iizuka (Polaroid
Stories) and Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog; In the Blood),
Kirsten Greenidge, Lori Woodall, Ryan Templeton, Charlayne Woodard,
Rachel Parks, James Baldwin and Steven Berkoff.
Prior to her appointiment as Artistic Director of Brava! for
Women in the Arts, Raelle has worked with such artists and
designers as Geoffrey Arend, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, Keith David,
Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, Tony Kushner, Jeanine Tesori, Justin
Townsend, Harold Perrineau, Larry Gilliard Jr., Nikkole Salter,
Amanda Schoonover, Ephraim Lopez, Regina Garcia, , Glenn
Fleshler,Alexandria Wailes, Kevin Kline, Austin Pendelton, Michael
Izquierdo, Jenifer Lewis, Waleed F. Zuaiter, Ato Essandoh,Jade Wu,
Jack Noseworthy, Brittany Underwood, Dan Moses Schreier, Marina
Draghici, Peter Callender, Matt M. Murphy among others.
Aside from participating in the creation of Azuka Theatre,
Raelle Myrick-Hodges has also worked at Seattle Repertory Theater,
Pig Iron Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, American Conservatory
Theater, Philadelphia Theatre Company, McCarter Theater, Arden
Theatre Company, Magic Theater, Aurora Theater, AlterTheater, Mark
Taper Forum, Playmakers Repertory, MudBone Theatre Collective,
Goethe Institute (Cologne, DE), and Questors Theater (Ealing
London).
