Derrell's profile
Born in Baltimore, Derrell has always had a love for the arts, and knows that his gift to write is truly a God given gift. “It’s interesting when I think about my love of playwriting. I never made a conscious decision to become a playwright. I never said, ‘hmm, I think I’d like to write plays.’ I recall being in English class in the 9th grade and I just began to write a play. Once I started I couldn’t stop. Playwriting became a part of me. It felt so comfortable. I knew immediately that this gift was from God and I had truly found my passion and ministry in life. Today, I cannot imagine my life without playwriting.”
As an actor, Derrell has performed on stage, television and film. Derrell’s theatre credits include A Raisin in the Sun, A Few Good Men, My Brother’s Keeper, Lord, I Believe and A Good Black Man. Derrell’s film credits include The Accidental Tourist, Species 2, Clara’s Heart, The Corner and The Talented. For seven years, Derrell appeared in the critically acclaimed NBC TV series, Homicide: Life on the Streets.
Derrell has quickly become a recognizable talent in theatre. In February 2000, his original play, The Family Mantle, won 1st place in the Eighteenth Annual Drama Competition sponsored by ABC2 and the Arena Players, Inc. The play was produced for television and aired on ABC in honor of Black History Month. Derrell received congratulatory e-mails from his mentors, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Charles Fuller (A Soldier’s Play) and David Talbert (Jumping the Broom), both encouraged him to continue writing for the theatre and to continue to follow his dreams.
In May 2001, the revised full-length version of The Family Mantle won Derrell an Individual Artist Award in Playwriting from the Maryland State Arts Council and two Governor’s Citations. The Family Mantle was selected by The Frank Silvera Writers Workshop in New York to be read during the Readers Theatre Series of new plays at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
In July 2002, Derrell was honored with the Legacy of Excellence: Future Gateway Award from A Good Black Man, Inc for his continued work to promote positive images of African American men. In July 2003, Derrell’s original play, “Sessions in Autumn,” was selected once again by The Frank Silvera Writers Workshop in New York to be read during the Readers Theatre Series of new plays at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem, North Carolina. In July 2012, Derrell’s original one Act play, “A Love Like This” was selected to be performed at Baltimore’s ArtScape, America's largest free arts festival, attracting over 350,000 attendees over three days.
In 2005, Derrell founded Zionward Productions, a theatre production company committed to producing professional stage plays with strong moral and spiritual content. In 2016, Derrell officially launched Derrell Owens Productions, taking his theatre productions to an even higher level of theatre production.
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