Hamid Dehghani is an Iranian theatre director, playwright, and actor whose work explores themes of identity, belonging, and human connection. In Iran, he wrote and directed From the Environs of Milad and Sohrab’s Transgression, and staged works such as Nathan and Tabileth by Barry Bermange and Leila by Morteza Hossein Zadeh. After earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Theatre Directing from Tehran University of Art, he spent more than a decade contributing to Tehran’s theatre community before relocating to the United States in 2018.

In the U.S., Dehghani earned an MFA in Directing at Northwestern University, where he staged works ranging from Mohammad Yaghoubi’s A Moment of Silence to Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice and Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. He also gained experience at leading institutions including the Metropolitan Opera, Court Theatre, Northlight Theatre, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. During the pandemic, when theatres were closed, he co-founded Grass Studio Theatre, creating outdoor performances—Picnic, Story in a Box, and Reportage of a Room—to keep theatre accessible to audiences in Chicago. Soon after, he directed Baba by Denmo Ibrahim at Amphibian Stage.

In the years that followed, Dehghani directed Sanaz Toossi’s English at the Goodman Theatre and Guthrie Theater, productions that drew wide critical acclaim and introduced his work to a broader national audience. He also staged Sylvia Khoury’s Selling Kabul at Northlight Theatre and the world premiere of Novid Parsi’s The Life You Gave Me at Boise Contemporary Theater, continuing his focus on plays that examine identity, family, and displacement. His productions have been recognized for their clarity and emotional resonance. Writing in the Chicago Tribune, Chris Jones described English as “a superb piece of direction… exquisitely paced, subtle of idea and formidably communicative,” while the Chicago Reader observed that his work “should cement his reputation… as a director of formidable gifts.”

In 2025, Dehghani was honored with a Princess Grace Award in Theatre, recognizing both his artistry and his contributions to the American stage.