Bio

donnie l. betts is an Emmy Award winner filmmaker, 4 time CABJ award winning radio journalist and Broadway performer. He is a founding member of two theatre companies in Denver, City Stage Ensemble and Denver Black Arts Company. He attended Yale School of Drama. donnie is an artist in residence for the State of Colorado. His theatre performance credits include “The Gospel at Colonus” on Broadway, “The Warrior Ant” at BAM as well as many regional performances including “Spunk”, “Driving Miss Daisy”, “Home”, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”, and many more. Theatre directing includes “Crumbs From the Table of Joy”, “K2”, “Emperor Jones” “Zora” and “Slut Energy Theory” and over 30 other productions.

His film credits include “Switchback” and “Honeydripper” both written and directed by John Sayles. His production company, No Credits Productions produces the award winning radio drama “Destination Freedom, Black Radio Days”, and documentary films including “Music is My Life, Politics My Mistress: The Story of Oscar Brown Jr.” screened at over 25 film festivals worldwide and winner of eleven “Best Documentary” and Audience’s Choice Awards as well as airing on PBS plus stations and the Documentary Channel nationwide, His first film, “Dearfield: The Road Less Traveled” a docudrama about the all-black town in northern Colorado was nominated for an Emmy won several film festival awards aired on PBS and screened at FESPACO in Burkina Faso, West Africa. He won an Emmy for his film “My Voice”.