Saheem Ali
Latest News on Saheem Ali:
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Sets Broadway Auditions (Apr 24, 2024)
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, CABARET & More Lead in Nominations for 2024 Drama League Awards (Apr 22, 2024)
Cast Announced For Pulitzer Prize-Winning FAT HAM At The Old Globe (Apr 17, 2024)
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Sets Broadway Auditions (Apr 24, 2024)
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, CABARET & More Lead in Nominations for 2024 Drama League Awards (Apr 22, 2024)
Cast Announced For Pulitzer Prize-Winning FAT HAM At The Old Globe (Apr 17, 2024)
Saheem Ali BIO
Ali assisted on productions in Minneapolis at Theatre de la Jeune Lune and Wintertime at the Guthrie Theater in 2003. Ali was assistant director on several productions in Boston, including Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) Shakespeare's Henry Vin 2002 and Macbeth in 2003. He assisted on the operas Powder Her Face in 2003 and Angels in America in 2006 for Opera Boston. He also assisted on The Miser for American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in 2004.
In 2009, he was assistant director for Giant and in 2010 for Angels in America, both at Signature Theatre Company. In 2010 he assisted on A Free Man of Color at Lincoln Center Theater and in 2011 for The Normal Heart on Broadway.
In 2014, Ali conducted a workshop on Dominique Morisseau’s Facing Our Truths. In 2015, Ali was Associate Director under Michael Greif for The Tempest. In 2017, he conducted a reading of The Unbearable Whiteness of Being, the Jeremy Kamps play, and he directed Twelfth Night 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 for Shakespeare in the Park 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 radio. It starred André Holland in the lead and had a cast of predominantly actors of color including Lupita Nyong'o, John Douglas Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad. He followed with two more radio plays, including Anne Washburn’s Shipwreck and the 2021 bilingual Romeo y Julieta starring Lupita Nyong'o.
The National Endowment for the Arts 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 by Jocelyn Bioh for The Public. In 2022, he directed Fat Ham, a new play by James Ijames, that received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Ali had previously worked with Ijames when he workshopped Kill Move Paradise at National Black Theatre in 2016 and directed it in 2017.
Saheem Ali Photos
Neil Pepe (Artistic Director), David Yazbek (Music Producer), Marco Paguia (Music Director), Dean Sharenow (Music Supervisor), Justin Peck (Co-Choreographer), Saheem Ali (Director), Marco Ramirez (Book), Orin Wolf (Producer), Patricia Delgado (Co-Choreographer)
Date:
10/13/2023
From: Photos: Inside Rehearsal For BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Off-Broadway
Executive Artistic Director of National Black Theatre Jonathan McCrory, Director Saheem Ali, Playwright James Ijames, Chief Executive Officer of National Black Theatre Sade Lythcott, and Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis a
Date:
05/27/2022
From: Photos: Pulitzer Prize-Winner FAT HAM Opens at The Public Theater!
Tia Harewood-Millington, Crystal Finn, Patrick Breen, Kara Young, Teagle F. Bougere, Adam Langdon, Jeff Augustin, Saheem Ali, Nicki Hunter, Elizabeth Rothman, Javier Mun�'oz, Katie Ailinger, Alan C. Edwards, Mario Wolfe
Date:
10/03/2019
From: Photo Flash: THE NEW ENGLANDERS Celebrates Opening Night at MTC
Saheem Ali Productions
Saheem Ali Awards and Nominations
Drama League Awards - 2024 - Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
Tony Awards - 2023 - Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali, Fat Ham
Drama Desk Awards - 2022 - Outstanding Director of a Play
Saheem AliMerry Wives
Drama League Awards - 2022 - Outstanding Direction of a Play
Saheem AliMerry Wives
winner
Obie Awards - 2022 - Special Citation
Saheem AliFat Ham
winner
Obie Awards - 2022 - Sustained Achievement in Directing
Saheem Ali
Saheem Ali Videos
VIDEO: Mykal Kilgore & the Company of FAT Ham Cover 'Kill The Lights'
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 8, 2022
VIDEO: Watch a Clip From HBO's Public Theater REOPENING NIGHT Documentary
by Michael Major - Dec 20, 2021
VIDEO: Susan Kelechi Watson Talks MERRY WIVES at Shakespeare in the Park!
by Sarah Leiber - Aug 12, 2021
VIDEO: Saheem Ali and Kwame Kwei-Armah Chat as Part of The Public's DIGITAL DUETS
by Stephi Wild - May 28, 2020
Saheem Ali News
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Sets Broadway Auditions
It has just been revealed that the production will hold auditions for a potential Broadway production in May.
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, CABARET & More Lead in Nominations for 2024 Drama League Awards
Read the full list of 2024 Drama League Nominations! Nominations include Cabaret, Merrily We Roll Along and more.
Cast Announced For Pulitzer Prize-Winning FAT HAM At The Old Globe
Discover the latest cast and creative team updates for the much-anticipated production of FAT HAM at the GLOBE. Stay tuned for more updates from the world of Broadway.
National Black Theatre And The Apollo Announce Renewal Of THE GATHERING: A COLLECTIVE SONIC RING SHOUT
Explore the renewed collaboration between the National Black Theatre and The Apollo, as they announce the return of THE GATHERING: A COLLECTIVE SONIC RING SHOUT, a transcendent theatrical experience.
Video: Director Sideeq Heard on FAT HAM at Geffen Playhouse
Watch as Director Sideeq shares what he hopes audiences will understand about themselves and others after seeing Fat Ham at Geffen Playhouse.
Interview: Sideeq Heard's Ever Excited to Direct FAT HAM Again
The west coast premiere of James Ijames’ 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama-winning Fat Ham opened April 4, 2024, at the Geffen Playhouse. Sideeq Heard directs the talented cast of Nikki Crawford, Chris Herbie Holland, Billy Eugene Jones, Adrianna Mitchell, Marcel Spears, Benja Kay Thomas and Matthew Elijah Webb. Sideeq found time after his successful opening weekend to answer a few of my queries.
Photos: First Look at FAT HAM at Geffen Playhouse
Geffen Playhouse is presenting the West Coast premiere of the Broadway production of five-time Tony Award nominee and 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner Fat Ham. Get a first look at photos!
Patti LuPone & More to Join Atlantic Theater Company 2024 Gala
Atlantic Theater Company will present their 2024 Gala on Monday, April 29, 2024 at The Plaza. See who is taking part and learn how to purchase tickets.
The Public Theater Sets Traveling Free Shakespeare in the Park Schedule for Summer 2024
The Public Theater will present GO PUBLIC! A Festival of Free Shakespeare in the Park, featuring a suite of free summer programming taking place across all five boroughs. Learn more about The Public's summer 2024 season.
Black Theatre Coalition To Host Inaugural BUILDING THE CHANGE Gala On February 12
Co-founders T. Oliver Reid, Warren Adams, and Reginald “Reggie” Van Lee, along with Board Members Aaliytha Stevens and Naila McKenzie, have announced that the Black Theatre Coalition will host its Inaugural Gala on Monday, February 12, 2024 in New York City at the Rainbow Room (30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th Floor).
Guthrie Theater to Present ON BECKETT Featuring Tony Award Winner Bill Irwin
The Guthrie Theater has revealed the cast and creative team for On Beckett, an Irish Repertory Theatre production produced by Octopus Theatricals. Learn how to purchase tickets!
Photos: Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ana Villafañe Visit BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ana Villafañe recently saw Atlantic Theater Company’s production of Buena Vista Social Club. Following the performances, the two stars met the cast and crew backstage. Check out photos here!
Cast Set For the West Coast Premiere of FAT HAM, Opening at Geffen Playhouse in March
Geffen Playhouse has announced the full cast for its West Coast premiere of the Broadway production of five-time Tony Award nominee and 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner Fat Ham. Find out who is starring in the show and how to get tickets here!
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Sets Final Extension at Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company will present a final extension for the world premiere of Buena Vista Social ClubTM due to high demand.
Photos: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Opens At Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company’s world premiere musical, Buena Vista Social Club ™ officially opened Off-Broadway on December 13th. See photos from opening night.
Broadway Buying Guide: December 18, 2023
Looking for the best deals on Broadway shows? Welcome to our new weekly guide to the most popular shows listed on BroadwayWorld. Check out which shows are selling this week, December 18, 2023.
Review Roundup: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Opens at Atlantic Theater Company
Buena Vista Social Club officially opened at Atlantic Theater Company last night, December 13. The reviews are coming in now. Read the reviews for Buena Vista Social Club here!
Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Laura Linney, and More Star in New Audio Plays From Audible
Audible has released a new slate of five Audible Theater titles, which star Broadway talent including Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Laura Linney, and more. Learn more about the full slate here!
CENTER OF THE YOUNIVERSE & More Set for Audible Theater December Audio Slate
Audible Theater has revealed its December audio slate, featuring five new originals.
Bill Irwin's One-Man Show ON BECKETT Begins Performances at Two River Theater This Week
Don't miss Tony Award-winning actor Bill Irwin's captivating performance in 'On Beckett' at Two River Theater. Experience the beauty of Samuel Beckett's language in this intimate one-man show. Get your tickets now!
Saheem Ali FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What awards has Saheem Ali been nominated for?
Saheem Ali has been nominated for several prestigious awards for his work in the theater industry. These nominations include Best Direction of a Play at the Tony Awards for "Fat Ham," Outstanding Director of a Play at the Drama Desk Awards for "Merry Wives," Outstanding Direction of a Play at the Drama League Awards for "Merry Wives," a Special Citation at the Obie Awards for "Fat Ham," and Sustained Achievement in Directing at the Obie Awards.
What awards has Saheem Ali won?
Saheem Ali has won the Special Citation at the Obie Awards for "Fat Ham" and the Sustained Achievement in Directing at the Obie Awards.
Videos
