Saheem Ali is a Kenyan theatre director. He is Associate Artistic Director at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Early life and education

Ali was born in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Kenya. He earned his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University and he holds an MFA in Directing from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Ali was first introduced to theatre when he saw a production of '' Grease'' in London at age fifteen and returned to Nairobi to stage a version of it with high school students there.

Early career

Ali assisted on productions in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

at Theatre de la Jeune Lune and ''Wintertime'' at the

Guthrie Theater The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions among Sir Tyrone Gut ...

in 2003. Ali was assistant director on several productions in Boston, including

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) was formed in 1996 by artistic director Steven Maler and associate Joan Moynagh to bring free, outdoor William Shakespeare, Shakespeare to the people of the city of Boston. Since 1996, CSC has produced one ...

(CSC) Shakespeare's ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

''in 2002 and ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' in 2003. He assisted on the operas ''

Powder Her Face ''Powder Her Face'', Op. 14 (1995), is a chamber opera in two acts by the British composer Thomas Adès, with an English libretto by Philip Hensher. The opera is 100 minutes long. It was commissioned by the Almeida Opera, a part of London's ...

'' in 2003 and ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a 1991 American two-part Play (theatre), play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The two parts of the play, ''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika'', may be presented separate ...

'' in 2006 for

Opera Boston Opera Boston was an opera company in Boston, Massachusetts. It specialized in less-frequently heard repertoire as well as modern works or opera premieres, along with opera education and outreach programs designed to bring opera education to childre ...

. He also assisted on ''

The Miser ''The Miser'' (; ) is a five-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed on September 9, 1668, in the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris. This is a character com ...

'' for

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

(A.R.T.) in 2004. In 2009, he was assistant director for ''Giant'' and in 2010 for ''

'', both at

Signature Theatre Company Signature Theatre Company is a nonprofit Off Broadway theatre company located on West 42nd Street in New York City. It was founded in 1991 by James Houghton and is now led by Artistic Director Emily Shooltz. Signature is known for their season-l ...

. In 2010 he assisted on ''

A Free Man of Color ''A Free Man of Color'' is a play written by John Guare. The play is set in New Orleans in 1801 as the United States is attempting to purchase Louisiana from France, as well as some scenes taking place in Haiti and France. The story follows mai ...

'' at

Lincoln Center Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT ...

and in 2011 for ''

The Normal Heart ''The Normal Heart'' is a largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer. It focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay founder of a promi ...

'' on Broadway.

The Public / Shakespeare in the Park

In 2014, Ali conducted a workshop on

Dominique Morisseau Dominique Morisseau (born March 13, 1978) is an American playwright and actress from Detroit, Michigan. She has written more than nine plays, three of which are part of a cycle titled ''The Detroit Project.'' She received a MacArthur Fellowship ( ...

’s ''Facing Our Truths''. In 2015, Ali was Associate Director under Michael Greif for ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

''. In 2017, he conducted a reading of ''The Unbearable Whiteness of Being'', the Jeremy Kamps play, and he directed ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' for The Mobile Unit and set the action in coastal Florida with Viola and Sebastian as Cuban refugees. Ali was slated to direct ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

'' for

Shakespeare in the Park Shakespeare in the Park is a term for outdoor festivals featuring productions of William Shakespeare's plays. The term originated with the New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City's Central Park, originally created by Joseph Papp. This conc ...

in the summer of 2020, but with the Covid-19 pandemic, he re-envisioned the production as a serialized radio play, co-produced by The Public Theater and

WNYC-FM WNYC-FM (93.9 MHz) is a non-commercial public radio station, licensed to New York, New York. It, along with WNYC (AM), is one of the primary outlets for WNYC branded programming provided by the non-profit New York Public Radio (NYPR). Hi ...

radio. It starred

André Holland André Holland (born December 28, 1979) is an American actor. He is widely known for his 2016 performance as Kevin in the Academy Award-winning film ''Moonlight''. Holland has acted in film, television, and theatre productions. He starred as D ...

in the lead and had a cast of predominantly actors of color including

Lupita Nyong'o Lupita Amondi Nyong'o ( , , ; born 1 March 1983) is an actress who has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Daytime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, a ...

John Douglas Thompson John Douglas Thompson (born 1964) is an English-American actor. He is a Tony Award nominee and the recipient of two Drama Desk Awards, three Obie Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Lucille Lortel Award. ''The New York Times'' critic B ...

, and

Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashad ( ) ( Ayers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress. She was most recently dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University before her three-year contract ended in May 2024. Known for her roles on stage and scree ...

. He followed with two more radio plays, including

Anne Washburn Anne Washburn is an American playwright. Life Washburn graduated from Reed College and from New York University, with an M.F.A. Her plays have been produced in New York City by Cherry Lane Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, The Civilians, Vineyard Theat ...

’s ''Shipwreck'' and the 2021 bilingual ''Romeo y Julieta'' starring

. The

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

describes Ali's signature as "his ongoing work with plays that contemporize and expand Shakespeare". In summer 2021, he directed ''Merry Wives'', an adaptation of ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' by

Jocelyn Bioh Jocelyn Bioh is a Ghanaian-American writer, playwright and actress. She graduated from Ohio State University with a BA in English and got her master's degree in Playwriting from Columbia University. Jocelyn's Broadway credits include '' The Curio ...

for The Public. In 2022, he directed ''

Fat Ham ''Fat Ham'' is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright James Ijames. It is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Hamlet.'' The play was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for five Tony Awards ...

'', a new play by

James Ijames James Ijames () is an American playwright originally from Bessemer City, North Carolina. He received his B.A. in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned his MFA in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, where he is ...

, that received the

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

. Ali had previously worked with Ijames when he workshopped ''Kill Move Paradise'' at

National Black Theatre The National Black Theatre is a not-for-profit organization, non-profit cultural and educational corporation, and community-based theatre company located on 5th Avenue in Harlem, New York (state), New York. History The National Black Theatre (N ...

in 2016 and directed it in 2017.

Other directing

Ali has directed a variety of plays, from ''Marisol'' by José Rivera at

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

in 2011 to '' A Lesson from Aloes'' by

Athol Fugard Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard (; 11 June 19328 March 2025) was a South African playwright, novelist, actor and director. Widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright and acclaimed as "the greatest active playwright in the English-speaki ...

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

in 2016. In 2016, he directed ''Dot'' by

Colman Domingo Colman Jason Domingo (born November 28, 1969) is an American actor, playwright, and director. Prominent Colman Domingo on screen and stage, on both screen and stage since the 2010s, Domingo has received List of awards and nominations received by ...

at Detroit Public Theatre and '' Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical'' at

Pace University Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...

. He directed ''Nollywood Dreams'' by

at Cherry Lane Theater in 2017 and at

MCC Theater MCC Theater (Manhattan Class Company) is an off-Broadway theater company located in New York City. The theater was founded in 1986 by artistic directors Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey and William Cantler. Blake West joined the company in 2006 ...

in 2021. In 2018, he directed ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; , ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy (or more specifically, a farce) by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical theat ...

'' at

PlayMakers Repertory Company PlayMakers Repertory Company is the professional theater company in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. PlayMakers Repertory Company is the successor of the Carolina Playmakers and is named after the Historic Playmakers T ...

, and in 2019 he directed ''The Rolling Stone'' at

. In 2019, he directed

Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith (born September 18, 1950) is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in ''The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus i ...

's '' Fires in the Mirror'' at

and

's ''Shipwreck'' at

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located at 641 D Street NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1980, it produces new plays which it believes to be edgy, challenging, and thought-provok ...

Arts development and service

Ali is known for actively participating in the development process of new plays. He has had workshops or readings of several plays that he later directed. He workshopped Donja R. Love's ''Fireflies'' at Rising Circle Collective and

New Dramatists New Dramatists is an organization of playwrights founded in 1949 and located at 424 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The members of New Dramatists par ...

in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and directed it at

Atlantic Theater Company The Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater company based in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1985 by playwright David Mamet, actor William H. Macy, and a group of acting students, the compan ...

in 2018. He workshopped Donja R. Love's ''Sugar in Our Wounds'' at Playwrights Realm in 2017 and directed a production of it at

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Lynne Meadow has been the company’s Artistic Director and visionary since 1972. Barry Grove joined the company in 19 ...

(MTC) in 2018. In 2017, he workshopped Chris Chen's ''Passage'' at

Long Wharf Theatre Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fo ...

and directed it at

Soho Repertory Theatre The Soho Repertory Theatre, known as Soho Rep,The official website'now use "Soho", with a lowercase h, as do most articles from th''New York Times''/ref> is an American Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City which is notable for pro ...

in 2019 and conducted a workshop of ''The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane'' by Jen Silverman in 2018 and directed it (as ''Dangerous House'') in 2018. Ali has also partnered in the playwriting process. He directed ''The Booty Call'', a play he co-wrote with

Michael Thurber Michael Thurber is an American composer, songwriter, bassist and actor. He is a co-founder of CDZA, a YouTube music collective that performed at the YouTube Music Awards in 2013. Thurber has composed scores for theater productions such as ''Anton ...

at Inner Voices in 2016 and workshopped it the following year at Roundabout Underground. Ali worked with

and Mkhululi Mabija on ''Goddess'' for the O’Neill Musical Theater Conference in 2013, and the play developed to be co-written by Thurber and

at Theater Latte Da in 2017, with Ali directing it at

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley, California, Downtown Berkeley. Histor ...

in 2022.

Awards

*2025:

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

, Best Direction of a Musical for '' Buena Vista Social Club'' (nominated) *2025:

Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1922, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing. Each May, the awards ...

, Outstanding Direction of a Play for ''Good Bones'' (nominated) *2025:

, Outstanding Direction of a Musical for '' Buena Vista Social Club'' (nominated) *2024:

, Outstanding Direction of a Musical for '' Buena Vista Social Club'' (nominated) *2023:

, Best Direction of a Play for ''

'' (nominated) *2022:

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

, Outstanding Director of a Play for ''Merry Wives'' (nominated) *2022:

, Outstanding Direction of a Play for ''Merry Wives'' (nominated) *2022

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

, Sustained Achievement in Directing *2022

, Special Citation *2020: National Critics Institute Fellow *2013: Sir John Gielgud Fellowship / SDCF *Emerging Artist Fellowship / New York Theatre Workshop *Shubert Fellowship, Columbia University *Presidential Scholarship in Theatre / Northeastern University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Saheem Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Kenyan dramatists and playwrights Kenyan emigrants to the United States Columbia University School of the Arts alumni