Nambi Kelley

Nambi Kelley is an award winning actress/playwright, who has performed across the country, including many shows at the Goodman Theatre & Steppenwolf Theatre, has been seen on several television shows, including Elementary, Person of Interest, Madam Secretary, Chicago PD, Chicago Justice, and has toured internationally. Most recently she appeared in Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline in the lead role, Kunstler, and Two Trains Running. Kelley made her directorial debut at TheatreWorks Colorado Springs, the first African-American female to helm a production in their over 40 year history. Also an accomplished playwright, Nambi is currently serving in residence at New Victory Theatre through the LabWorks Program for BIPOC artists in New York City. She is a former playwright-in-residence at the National Black Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, and a former Dramatists Guild Fellow. She is the recipient of the 2020 NNPN annual commission, the Prince Prize 2019, and a Dramatists Guild Foundation Writers Alliance Grant 2018-19. She is currently developing the Broadway-aspiring play about Dr. Maya Angelou. She was chosen by Toni Morrison to adapt Morrison’s Jazz, which premiered at Baltimore Center Stage in 2017. Her adaptation of Richard Wright’s Native Son has been seen across the country and premiered off Broadway in 2019. Nambi’s newly formed production company, First Woman LLC, is currently producing a digital and national tour of Nambi’s young audiences’ play, Jabari Dreams of Freedom. Nambi is a writer on Showtime’s The Chi, and is in development with several other film and TV projects.