Saheem is a proud immigrant from Kenya. He received Tony, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations, as well as the Joe A. Callaway award for his direction of Fat Ham. He most recently directed the Buena Vista Social Club musical at Atlantic Theater Company. His production of Merry Wives (Shakespeare in the Park) was recorded for PBS Great Performances and was the subject of the documentary Reopening Night on HBO. Other productions include Goddess (Berkeley Rep), Nollywood Dreams (MCC), Romeo y Julieta, Shipwreck and Richard II (radio plays), Fires in The Mirror (Signature Theater), The Rolling Stone (Lincoln Center Theater), Passage (Soho Rep), Sugar in Our Wounds (MTC), Tartuffe (Playmakers Rep), Where Storms Are Born (WTF) and Kill Move Paradise (National Black Theater). He is a Usual Suspect at New York Theater Workshop, a Sir John Gielgud SDCF Fellow, a Shubert Fellow and recipient of an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence. He currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director/ Resident Director of New York’s Public Theater.
Education
MFA in Directing / Columbia University
Awards
Sir John Gielgud Fellowship / SDCF
Emerging Artist Fellowship / New York Theatre Workshop
Shubert Fellowship / Columbia University
Presidential Scholarship in Theatre / Northeastern University
Productions
Buena Vista Social Club / by Marco Ramirez / Atlantic Theater / NYC 2023
Fat Ham / by James Ijames / Broadway / NYC 2022
Goddess / by Michael Thurber & Jocelyn Bioh / Berkeley Rep / CA 2022
Fat Ham / by James Ijames / Public Theater / NYC 2021
Merry Wives / by Shakespeare / Public Theater / NYC 2021
Nollywood Dreams / by Jocelyn Bioh / MCC / NYC 2021
Romeo y Julieta (audio play - listen here) / by Shakespeare / Public Theater / 2021
Shipwreck (audio play - listen here) / by Anne Washburn / Public Theater / 2020
Richard II (audio play - listen here) / by Shakespeare / Public Theater & WNYC / 2020
Shipwreck / by Anne Washburn / Woolly Mammoth / DC 2020
Fires In The Mirror / by Anna Deavere Smith / Signature Theater / NYC 2019
The New Englanders / by Jeff Augustin / MTC / NYC 2019
The Rolling Stone / by Chris Urch / Lincoln Center Theater / NYC 2019
Passage / by Chris Chen / Soho Rep / NYC 2019
Fireflies / by Donja Love / Atlantic Theater / NYC 2018
Dangerous House / by Jen Silverman / Williamstown / MA 2018
Sugar in Our Wounds / by Donja Love / MTC / NYC 2018
Henry V / by Shakespeare / NYU Grad / NYC 2018
Tartuffe / by Moliere / Playmakers / NC 2018
Diaspora / by Nathaniel Shapiro / The Gym at Judson / NYC 2017
Where Storms Are Born/ by Harrison Rivers / Williamstown Theater Festival / 2017
Kill Move Paradise / by James Ijames / National Black Theater / NYC 2017
Twelfth Night / by Shakespeare / Public Theater Mobile Unit / NYC 2017
Nollywood Dreams / by Jocelyn Bioh / Cherry Lane / NYC 2017