Eileen J. Morris is a director, actress and educator. She worked closely with the founder of The Ensemble Theatre, George W. Hawkins, from 1982 until his death in 1990.

She has served on several boards and panels during her 30 years as an artist and has held the offices of president, immediate past president, vice-president and secretary with the national organization, Black Theatre Network from 1994–2004.

She currently serves on the board of Houston’s Midtown Management District. She has served on panels with the Cultural Arts Council of Houston, Harris County; Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; the Heinz Foundation; the Multi-Cultural Arts Council of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh Foundation High School Arts Scholarship Committee; Pro Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts, and Theatre Communications Group.  

As artistic director, she has produced over 72 productions, which include four world premieres and 50 regional premieres. In 2007, The Ensemble Theatre was named Best Theatre by the Houston Press and 2007 Best Showcase for African American Actors by the Ultimate Section of the Houston Chronicle. The Ensemble Theatre also presented two out of the 10 best plays named by the Houston Chronicle as the Best of Houston Theatre in 2008 and 2010.

Eileen, along with Audrey Lawson, president emeritus, was instrumental in initiating the Young Performers’ program an educational training program for youth ages 6 to 17 that addresses the collaboration of art and life skills.

Some of her Ensemble Theatre directing credits include No Child,  Jitney, The Waiting Room, Stick Fly (Named one of the top 2010 plays –Houston Chronicle), American Menu (2010 Giorgee Award winner for Best Ensemble and named one of the top 2010 plays–Houston Chronicle), Seven Guitars (Named one of the top 2009 plays –Houston Chronicle) The Man Who Saved New Orleans, Radio Golf, Ashes to Africa, Christmas is Comin’ Uptown, Sty of the Blind Pig (Giorgee Award winner for Best Production in 2008) and Blue.

She has a strong history with Pittsburgh’s Kuntu Repertory Theatre where she directed several productions which included, Liftin’, Flyin’ West, Miss Dessa, A Love Song for Mumia, Murderer on the Hill District with Pittsburgh Playwright’s Theatre- King Hedley, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (received honorable mention from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for Best Play), Fences (Best Director from the African American Council on the Arts in 2005), Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (received one of the Best Director mentions from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Jonathan, August in February 2003-2005 and several other plays. At Pittsburgh’s New Horizon Theatre company in Pittsburgh, Eileen has directed I Gotcha, The Joe Tex Story (2010 Best Director Award from the African American Council on the Arts),  Livin’ Fat, American Menu, Crumbs From the Table of Joy, The Dance on Widow’s Row, Blue (received the African American Council on the Arts Onyx Award for Best Director- 2004), Dancing on Moonlight and a few others.  In addition she directed for Pittsburgh’s City Theatre a special project:  A Black History Celebration featuring film and television actress, Irma P. Hall. For the past three years, she has directed the Alley Theatre’s touring production of I, Barbara Jordan by Celeste Bedford Walker.

Eileen holds the distinct privilege of being one of the few African American women in the country to have directed seven plays of the August Wilson 10 play cycle and to have performed as an actress in six of them.    This year, The Ensemble Theatre becomes one of the few theatre companies in the country to complete the Ten Play Cycle.