India Nicole Burton is a Chicago-based director, playwright, deviser, and producer. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2022. India’s work has been recognized nationally through programs such as the National New Play Network (NNPN) Producer in Residence program, which she completed over two years at Cleveland Public Theatre, and the NNPN Bridge Program grant in 2021.
One of her most celebrated works is the choreopoem Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation, which received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. The production earned critical acclaim and was nominated for two Jeff Awards in 2024, as well as two Chicago Black Excellence Awards.
India was selected for The New Harmony Project’s prestigious playwright residency in 2024...
India Nicole Burton is a Chicago-based director, playwright, deviser, and producer. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2022. India’s work has been recognized nationally through programs such as the National New Play Network (NNPN) Producer in Residence program, which she completed over two years at Cleveland Public Theatre, and the NNPN Bridge Program grant in 2021.
One of her most celebrated works is the choreopoem Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation, which received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. The production earned critical acclaim and was nominated for two Jeff Awards in 2024, as well as two Chicago Black Excellence Awards.
India was selected for The New Harmony Project’s prestigious playwright residency in 2024, located in New Harmony, Indiana.
As a performer, India was part of American Dreams, which received a Drama League Award nomination in 2021. She was named Best Local Playwright by Cleveland Scene Magazine in 2023 and was The Chicago Reader’s 1st Runner-Up for Best Playwright in 2024. India is a 2024/25 participant in the Theatre Communications Group Rising Leaders of Color program and was a semi-finalist for the Princess Grace Award in 2023.
In the summer of 2025, her trilogy The Ascension Plays was featured in the National New Play Network’s New Play Showcase. She currently serves as a Board Member of the National New Play Network.
India has directed for The Karamu House Inc., Company One, Cleveland Public Theatre, Dobama Theatre, The Playwrights’ Center, and more. She is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Chicago State University, Associate Producer of New Work at Pegasus Theatre Chicago, and a teaching artist at Court Theatre.
Through her work, India strives to empower African American communities by providing platforms to control and shape their own narratives, fostering authentic representation and cultural resonance within the theatrical landscape.