Sharifa Yasmin (she/her) is a trans Arab-American director, actor and playwright. Sharifa focuses on work that speaks to the heartbeat of humanity, often uplifting the voices of those most marginalized.
She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Some of Sharifa’s favorite directing projects include Disgraced (American Stage) ,Beirut (Brown/Trinity Rep), The War Boys (Hangar Theater), 3:59AM (Actors Theatre of Louisville), In the Blood (Duende Productions), and Mosque4Mosque (National Queer Theatre).
Yasmin’s playwriting focuses on the intersection of Queer and Arab identities. Her plays have been produced with Playwrights Foundation, Amphibian Stage, Women’s Theatre Festival, American Blues Theatre, taught at DePaul, Susquehanna, and Kansas Universities, and published in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays. Her play Close to Home was distinguished by the American Theatre Wing when recognized and recommended at the annual Antoinette Gala.
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Yasmin was honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF Barbara Whitman Award in 2021 for her work in directing. She currently serves as a member of The Drama League's Directors Council and is completing her MFA in Directing with Brown/Trinity Rep.