Brenda Sparks is an award-winning director, actress, and playwright who currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a BA in Theatre from Western Michigan University. Ms. Sparks made her professional directing debut at age 19 and has since directed over 30 productions throughout the North and Southeast. Her work ranges from classical to contemporary, alternative to traditional, and includes several national and world premieres. In the state of Tennessee alone, Brenda has been awarded the Tennessean Theatre Award for Best Director (The Widow's Best Friend), Best Supporting Actress (A Midsummer Night's Dream and A Doll's House), and was named Best Comedic Actress by The Nashville Banner. A sampling of directing credits includes Spinning Into Butter, God's Man in Texas, Santaland Diaries, The Foreigner, My Way, Over The River and Through The Woods, Sylvia, and Fully Committed. She has written and directed original adaptations of Rip Van Winkle and A Christmas Carol, and has also created several original Shakespeare Samplers for young audiences that have toured throughout the state of Tennessee. Most recently, she teamed up with Emmy-award winning composer Thomas Spahn and hit song writer Beverly Ross (Lollipop, Judy's Turn to Cry) to write the World War II original musical, City Of Light, which is on track for a regional premiere with a projected move to Broadway. Next December Brenda will play Mother Courage for People's Branch Theatre, Nashville's leading alternative stage company, in the world premiere of Matt Chiorini's original adaptation of the Bertolt Brecht classic.