Bell Named Donald G. Robertson Professor of Music Theatre

EVANSTON, Ill. --- David H. Bell, associate professor of music theatre at Northwestern University, has been named the Donald G. Robertson Director of Music Theatre.

A member of Northwestern’s faculty since 2006, Bell serves on the Music/Theater and Dance Strategic Planning Committee and the advisory board of the Theater Center.

He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including a Helen Hayes Award for his work on “The Hot Mikado” and two National Endowment for the Humanities Playwriting Awards for “Portraits” and “Homefront.” He has been nominated for 35 Joseph Jefferson Awards and has won 10 times. Bell was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for the London production of “The Hot Mikado.”

Before joining Northwestern, Bell worked for 25 years in the theatre industry as a director, choreographer and author in acclaimed venues with award-winning actors. He served as the artistic director of Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., was an associate director at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, directed plays on and off Broadway in New York and worked at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Bell has directed such notable stars of the stage as Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera and Carol Channing.

Bell has worked internationally as well, from London’s West End to the closing ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.