Dede Ayite
Exclusive: First Look at Ayo Edebiri & Don Cheadle in PROOF on Broadway (Apr 14, 2026)
Video: PROOF Cast Takes Their First Bows on Broadway (Apr 1, 2026)
Meet the Cast of PROOF, Now Playing on Broadway (Mar 31, 2026)
BIO
Dede Ayite is a costume designer whose Broadway credits include A Soldier’s Play, Slave Play, American Son, and Children of a Lesser God. Select Off-Broadway credits include Secret Life of Bees, FireFlies, Marie and Rosetta, Tell Hector I Miss Him (Atlantic); By The Way, Meet Vera Stark, JHAT (Signature); BLKS, Collective Rage…, School Girls… (MCC); Slave Play (NYTW); Sugar in Our Wounds (MTC); If Pretty Hurts…, Mankind, Bella: An American Tall Tale (Playwrights Horizons); The Royale (Lincoln Center); Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout); and brownsville song [b-side for tray] (LCT3). Regionally, Ayite’s works has appeared at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Williamstown Theatre Festival; Steppenwolf; American Repertory Theater, Denver Center; California Shakespeare; La Jolla Playhouse; Berkeley Repertory; Baltimore Center Stage; Arena Stage; Cleveland Playhouse; Signature Theatre; and McCarter Theatre, Hartford Stage. She has worked in television with Netflix, Comedy Central, and FOX Shortcoms. Ayite earned her MFA at the Yale School of Drama and has received an Obie, Lucille Lortel, Helen Hayes, Theatre Bay Area, and Jeff Awards, along with four Drama Desk Nominations.
Photos
Productions
Awards and Nominations
winner
Dede Ayite, Our Town
Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club
Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club
Dede Ayite, Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club
Dede Ayite, Hell's Kitchen
winner
Dede Ayite, Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Dede Ayite, Appropriate
Dede Ayite, Topdog/Underdog
winner
Dede Ayite
Dede Ayite, Slave Play
Dede Ayite, A Soldier's Play
Videos
Video: THE LAST FIVE YEARS Standbys Noah Kieserman & Nasia Thomas Have Special Performance
by Michael Major - 2025-06-16 09:44:10
Video: Watch HELL'S KITCHEN Perform 'Girl on Fire' & 'No One' on GOOD MORNING AMERICA
by Michael Major - 2025-06-13 14:09:08
Video: Nick Jonas Shares the Biggest Difference Between Touring and Broadway
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-05-16 14:00:43
Video: Tank and Amanda Reid Perform 'If I Ain't Got You' From HELL'S KITCHEN; Deluxe Album Out Next Week
by Stephi Wild - 2025-05-16 05:37:09
Video: How Nick Jonas Learned 'The Schmuel Song' From THE LAST FIVE YEARS
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-05-15 15:15:53
Video: Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren Reveal Their Favorite Moments in THE LAST FIVE YEARS
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-04-11 18:01:08
Video: What Adrienne Warren Wants People to Know About Broadway Previews
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-04-01 12:26:31
Video: Whitney White Shares Why She Cast Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren in THE LAST FIVE YEARS
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-03-25 16:47:14
Video: Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren Perform 'The Next Ten Minutes' From THE LAST FIVE YEARS
by Stephi Wild - 2025-03-14 10:10:33
Video: Watch Amber Iman Sing 'Honey Sweet' From GODDESS Musical
by Michael Major - 2025-03-05 15:05:36
Video: Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren Perform From THE LAST FIVE YEARS
by Stephi Wild - 2025-01-22 08:17:30
Video: Behind The Scenes of the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade with Broadway’s HELL’S KITCHEN
by Blair Ingenthron - 2025-01-05 15:38:00
Video: Alicia Keys Visits Former School, Reunites with Teacher Who Shaped Her Music
by Josh Sharpe - 2024-12-19 13:38:12
Video: Kecia Lewis Performs 'Perfect Way To Die' from HELL'S KITCHEN at The Root 100 Gala
by Stephi Wild - 2024-12-16 08:05:56
Video: Katie Holmes Surprises Zoey Deutch on GMA with OUR TOWN Question
by Josh Sharpe - 2024-12-09 12:34:37
Video: Shoshana Bean and Jakeim Hart of HELL'S KITCHEN Cover ‘Lesson Learned’ by Alicia Keys
by Blair Ingenthron - 2024-12-01 10:05:45
Video: Heléne Yorke and Michael Zegen in STRATEGIC LOVE PLAY Off-Broadway
by Chloe Rabinowitz - 2024-11-13 13:45:18
Video: Meet The Cast of JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING At Arena Stage
by A.A. Cristi - 2024-09-09 22:08:39
Video: Dede Ayite Celebrates Tony Win for Best Costume Design of a Play
by Joey Mervis - 2024-06-16 20:07:46
News
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 14, 2026
Preview performances are underway for the first Broadway revival of Proof, David Auburn’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play. BroadwayWorld is very excited to bring you an exclusive first look at the cast in action here.
by Michael Major - Apr 1, 2026
Tuesday night, the Broadway revival of Proof played its first preview. Watch a new video of Ayo Edebiri, Don Cheadle, Jin Ha, and Kara Young taking their first bows on Broadway!
by Stephi Wild - Mar 31, 2026
Performances are underway for Proof, ahead of a Thursday, April 16 opening night at the Booth Theatre. Learn more about the show and meet the cast of Proof here!
by Stephi Wild - Mar 27, 2026
Accessibility initiatives, including the digital lottery and student rush policies, have been announced for the Broadway revival of Proof, David Auburn’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Learn more about how to get discount tickets here!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 26, 2026
The complete cast has been revealed for the world premiere production of Basura, a new musical with original music and lyrics by Gloria Estefan and Emily Estefan, premiering at Alliance Theatre.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 10, 2026
The View’s Ana Navarro made her Broadway debut for one night only in her favorite Broadway musical, Buena Vista Social Club. See photos from Navarro's debut in the show!
by Jeffrey Kare - Feb 18, 2026
Inspired by the music and upbringing of Alicia Keys. Hell’s Kitchen follows Ali, a 17-year-old girl full of fire, searching for freedom, passion, and her place in the world. Along the way, we meet her dynamic family, a musical mentor who changes her life, and the neighborhood that helps her grow up.
by Stephi Wild - Jan 15, 2026
The Tony Award, Grammy Award and Drama League Award-winning musical HELL’S KITCHEN has announced its closing date on Broadway. Learn more about the show and how to still catch it on Broadway here!
by BWW Awards - Dec 29, 2025
This is the last chance to vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by BWW Awards - Dec 22, 2025
We're in the final weeks to vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by BWW Awards - Dec 15, 2025
The latest standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 11, 2025
TDF will present the return of Costumes & Cocktails, a glamorous party and benefit celebrating its exceptional Costume Collection. The event will honor Paul
by Stephi Wild - Dec 9, 2025
The creative team has been announced for the world premiere production of BASURA, a new musical with music and lyrics by Gloria Estefan and Emily Estefan, premiering at the Alliance Theatre.
by BWW Awards - Dec 8, 2025
The latest standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by BWW Awards - Dec 1, 2025
The first standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 26, 2025
HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES will make its UK premiere at Stratford East in early 2026, marking a major new collaboration with Tectonic Theater Project. The production brings Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s acclaimed work to London following celebrated runs in the U.S.
by Josh Sharpe - Nov 21, 2025
Broadway’s Hell’s Kitchen has dropped a new holiday song, “Hell’s Kitchen’s A Merry Little Christmas,' an original mash-up of the holiday classic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and Alicia Keys’ “The Gospel.” Check it out now!
by Rachel Weinberg - Nov 13, 2025
HELL’S KITCHEN, the Alicia Keys jukebox musical now making its Chicago premiere as part of the first national tour, has a messy storyline wrapped in slick packaging. While the show is loosely based on Keys’s childhood in Manhattan, the storytelling is generic, and the songs are often awkwardly incorporated into the book. Admittedly, Kristoffer Diaz’s book is weak. It’s a flimsy vehicle for Keys’s song catalog. Huge Alicia Keys fans might enjoy hearing her biggest hits performed by musical theater actors, but the plot around them doesn’t hang together.
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 12, 2025
HELL’S KITCHEN, the 13-time Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical featuring the songs of Alicia Keys, is now playing at the James M. Nederlander Theatre in Chicago through November 30, 2025.
by Stephi Wild - Nov 6, 2025
Samira Wiley and Jin Ha join the cast of PROOF, the first Broadway revival of David Auburn's acclaimed play, opening April 16, 2026.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Outstanding Costume Design of a Pla (Drama Desk Awards) for Our Town, Best Costume Design of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Buena Vista Social Club, Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Buena Vista Social Club, Outstanding Costume Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Jaja's African Hair Braiding, Outstanding Costume Design (The Lortels) for Buena Vista Social Club, Best Costume Design of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Hell's Kitchen, Best Costume Design of a Play (Tony Awards) for Jaja's African Hair Braiding, Best Costume Design of a Play (Tony Awards) for Appropriate, Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Topdog/Underdog, Special Award (Drama Desk Awards), Best Costume Design of a Play (Tony Awards) for Slave Play and Best Costume Design of a Play (Tony Awards) for A Soldier's Play.
Dede Ayite has won the Outstanding Costume Design of a Play at the Drama Desk Awards for Our Town. She also received the Best Costume Design of a Play at the Tony Awards for Jaja's African Hair Braiding. Additionally, she has received a Special Award from the Drama Desk Awards.
Videos