Director. Educator. Creative Leadership Strategist.

Founder of The Creative Leadership Lab.

I’m Erin Langley — and my work lives at the intersection of artistry, psychology, and high-performance leadership.

For nearly twenty years, I’ve led teams in some of the most emotionally charged, high-pressure environments on earth — from outdoor productions in Central Park to massive community shows on the Gulf Coast. I’ve trained young performers, guided emerging leaders, and built cultures where clarity, collaboration, and courage take center stage.

I don’t see the arts as extracurricular.

I see them as leadership training in disguise.

And I believe directors, educators, and creative leaders deserve tools that actually work in the real world — communication under pressure, emotional intelligence, conflict navigation, and the ability to lead humans, not manage them.

THE CORE IDEA

Theatre isn’t just performance.

It’s a live laboratory for leadership.

Every rehearsal is a testing ground for:

  • decision-making under stress

  • collaboration across personalities

  • communication that builds trust instead of shutdown

  • emotional regulation in high-stakes moments

  • creative problem-solving on the fly

     • systems thinking

     • resilience

These aren’t “arts” skills.

They’re executive-level leadership skills practiced daily — often without the language to describe them.

My work blends strategy, psychology, and artistry so leaders can use these tools intentionally, sustainably, and at a high level.

WHAT I’VE BUILT

In 2012, I founded Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre in Daphne, Alabama — a program that now reaches over 100,000 audience members, produces nationally recognized large-scale productions, and has taken students from a small coastal town all the way to the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park.

My directing and educational leadership have been recognized with:

  • Finalist, Tony Awards for Excellence in Education

  • Alabama Council on the Arts Theatre Fellowship

  • Directors Lab West Fellow (Los Angeles)

  • Freddie Gershon Fellow (New York City)

  • Impact 100 Young Philanthropist Award

  • Mobile Bay 40 Under 40

  • Quality of Life Award, City of Fairhope

These recognitions reflect the through-line of my work:

developing confident, collaborative leaders through the language of the arts.

WHAT I DO NOW

Today, I help:

  • directors and educators lead with clarity and confidence

  • arts organizations strengthen their culture and rethink how they lead

  • schools and programs build emotionally safe, high-performance environments

  • business and community leaders explore creativity as a leadership engine

My workshops, programs, and keynotes blend research-backed leadership frameworks with the emotional depth and dynamic energy of theatre — creating experiences that are practical, resonant, and immediately usable.

My goal?

To help creative leaders — in the arts and beyond — unlock their full capacity and build cultures where people excel without burning out.

A PERSONAL NOTE

I live in Fairhope, Alabama with my husband Karl and our two children, Ezra and Zoë — the reason I believe so deeply in creative, resilient leadership that helps young people step into who they’re meant to be.

Reach out to Erin