Reva Stover | Director

Theatre for the Digital Age. Lore-Driven. Hauntingly Human.

A Reva Stover production is a visceral, communal yet deeply intimate experience, crafted with sharp dramaturgical insight, rich world-building, and a visceral sense of presence. Her direction invites the audience so close to the story that the boundary between stage and spectator dissolves. Every element pulls viewers into a living, breathing world, where transitions are not pauses, but pulses in the ongoing heartbeat of the narrative.

With a signature blend of quick-moving storytelling and emotional depth, Reva builds theatre for the digital age: language-rich, character-driven, and paced for audiences shaped by the rhythm of the internet. Her work resists sentimentality in favor of subtext, tension, and specificity. There’s always something lurking beneath, a moment or presence that haunts, hinting at the supernatural, the uncanny, or the unexplainable.

Reva’s directing is grounded, propulsive, and unforgettable. Whether on stage or on screen, her work doesn’t just tell a story, it builds a world you can’t look away from.

 DIRECTING

Portfolio

A Hit Dog Will Holler by Inda Craig Galvan - Azuka Theatre

When I directed a hit dog will holler, I aimed to trap the audience in the space with Gina, an agoraphobe who has been hiding indoors due to the terrifying reality of living while Black in America. I wanted audiences to experience life under a microscope of expectation and fear as Gina had. My hope was that this visceral experience would activate audiences and leave them thinking critically about the people in their own lives who may be performing strength.

*This pRoduction recieved 4 Barrymore award Nominations

Tuck Everlasting by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle - Centre Theater

This version of Tuck centers on a predominantly Black experience as we learn about the value of seizing the day, dealing with grief by honoring the dead, and making new friends in tough times with Winnie. We may find by the end that a life well lived is the highest honor and the best reward for having lived it.

Find yourself in this community or discover your community here in us. You fit here, we all do. I encourage you to keep in mind that community is a beautiful, life-affirming thing. We are stronger, healthier, and braver when we stand in solidarity with one another. To be truly seen and see others is one of life’s great adventures. You definitely don’t want to miss it.

*This production received 1 Barrymore Award nomination

MAN OF LA MANCHIN by Nick Jonzcak - Cannonball Festival

Man of La Manchin is a violent and campy musical romp that explores what it might look like to eat the rich, for real. We follow Sweety, a DC waitress, on the journey of her rage-filled breakdown after kidnapping Senator Joe Manchin, chopping off his leg, and chowing down.

Man of La Manchin asks us to reflect on the dangerous state of American politics and the profit-over-people mentality that has kept millions of Americans oppressed for decades. Using a mix of horror and comedy, Man of La Manchin asks the question if not eating the rich - then what? What can we do right now?

pROMISE TO POTTSTOWN BY BRIE KNIGHT- STEEL RIVER PLAYHOUSE

Promise to Pottstown examines some of the trials of the last 4 years in Pottstown and how this community rallied together to keep going during some of our most tumultuous times. This play, written by Brie Knight, takes the accounts of actual Pottstonians about their 2020 experiences and reimagines them narratively. mY GOAL WAS TO BRING THE AUDIENCE INTO THE STREETS OF POTTSTOWN And invite them to play with us together.

pURE wHITe BY LEX THAMMAVONG(rEADING) - Philadelphia Asia Performing Artists

Pure White follows a group of interconnected, lost souls as they struggle with addiction and grapple with questions of morality, worth, faith, companionship, and identity on their journey through purgatory.

Masc by Ang(ela) Bey (Readings) - Azuka Theatre/Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival

Masc explores the intersection of race and gender identity. What defines a “Black Woman” or a “Black Man” and how do our trans allies fit in such rigid boxes? As we travel through magical memories, commune with ancestors, and visits with Oprah, we may find the wholeness we have been looking for all along. 

In this reading, I worked to amplify the human connections and keep the pacing quick and upbeat. I allowed the audience to revel in the comical moments before hitting them with the trickier internal moments of growth and self-discovery. 

A Complicated Hope by John Maybe (Reading) - Fulton Theatre

A Complicated Hope explores the relationship between a man, his late lover, his lover’s wife, and his lover’s daughter as they all grapple with love, loss, and regret. A Complicated Hope makes plain our universal need for community, love, and belonging.

“I had the honor of working with Reva Stover on the directed reading of my play, A Complicated Hope. From the pre-event call, I knew right away that she was a Director with great vision and empathy, bringing a visual interpretation to my script and challenging me to see my work in a new way. At the event itself, I learned so much about both my play and the art of directing as I watched her expertly work with the cast and production team. In the talkback, her insights about the world of the play and her support of me as a writer created the perfect environment to make edits to my work that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. It’d be such a privilege to work with her again in the future.”

- John Maybe, playwright

Nappy Truths by Dr. Kimmika Williams Witherspoon (REading)- First World Theatre

Nappy Truths explores Black womanhood across generations. We follow a number of interconnected Black women as they face the struggles of identity, belonging, love, and societal pressure. Through their trials, we find that they are stronger, better, and wiser together.