Sam Kebede is a first generation Ethiopian/Eritrean Writer/Actor/Comedian based in New York City and his works center predominantly around the comedy and history, grappling with the absurdism of "how we got to the world we have". He has had the privilege to collaborate on projects around the world, including writing for a TV show in Taiwan, VR performances pieces in Austria and Italy, and stand up in Ireland.
He is a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, a former Ars Nova CAMP fellow, a New Victory LabWorks Fellow, and an artist with The Public's Developmental Theater Working Group.
He is currently in the process of developing a play cycle adaptation of the Kebra Nagast (the written record of the lineage of Ethiopian kings and queens) as a modern response to Shakespeare’s history plays.
Separate...
Sam Kebede is a first generation Ethiopian/Eritrean Writer/Actor/Comedian based in New York City and his works center predominantly around the comedy and history, grappling with the absurdism of "how we got to the world we have". He has had the privilege to collaborate on projects around the world, including writing for a TV show in Taiwan, VR performances pieces in Austria and Italy, and stand up in Ireland.
He is a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, a former Ars Nova CAMP fellow, a New Victory LabWorks Fellow, and an artist with The Public's Developmental Theater Working Group.
He is currently in the process of developing a play cycle adaptation of the Kebra Nagast (the written record of the lineage of Ethiopian kings and queens) as a modern response to Shakespeare’s history plays.
Separate from these cycles is his play ETHIOPIANAMERICA which was recently produced by Definition Theater Company at the Tony-Award winning Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. The show was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference for 2019 and won the Black Theater Alliance Award for Best Play. The play is possibly the first American play to heavily feature the Ethiopian language of Amharic and is the first major American play to feature all Ethiopian/Eritrean characters.