Nia Akilah Robinson

Deadass

Nia Akilah Robinson (she.her) is a playwright and actor who reps Harlem with all her might. Recently, she has been accepted into The Juilliard School (Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program)/ 2022-2023. She presented a short play commissioned by EST/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation at Ensemble Studio Theater. Nia co-wrote a play under the Clubbed Thumb Constitution Commission (Heidi Schreck, creator and star of What the Constitution Means to Me) awarded to Justice Hehir. Residencies: 2022 Eugene O’ Neill Tao House Fellowship, 2022 MacDowell Fellowship, and 2021 Prospect Street Writer’s House X Waterwell. Writers Collectives: EST’s Youngblood & TheBlackHERthePen. Awards: 2022 Finalist for The Blue Ink Playwriting Award, 2022 Semi-Finalist for the Blank Stage “Future of Playwriting Award”, 2021 Winner “One of the Best of Fest” at Nuyorican’s Theater Festival, and 2021 Finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Commissions: 2020 Charles Rowan Beye New Play Commission under Urbanite Theatre Company & 2020 PEN America. She has an Audio play titled Ebony & Nakeshia, produced by Ensemble Studio Theater, and directed by Colette Robert (Caroline or Change on Broadway). Readings: Principal Mitchell vs. Principal Ademide Udoku… with the Dramatist Guild; 2021 End Of Play in partnership with The 24 Hour Plays, 2020 Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Playwright’s Playground, and “TBHTP” collective readings at The Drama League. Workshops: 2022 Great Plains Theatre Conference & Waterwell (WP Means White People).

Nia was presented a certificate from the 2021 Tony Award-winning organization Broadway Advocacy Coalition, for “Her commitment to Black stories”.