Melis Aker

Melis Aker is a writer, actor, and musician from Turkey. Her plays have been commissioned by and developed at Atlantic Theatre, NYTW (2050 fellow), Ars Nova (Play Group member), New Group, Dramatists Guild (DGF fellow), LaMaMa, the Lark, Noor Theatre, Prelude Festival, Golden Thread Productions, Corkscrew Theatre Festival and BRIC in the U.S., as well as the Finborough and Park theatres in London. Her plays include: Field, Awakening (2019 Kilroy's List, Columbia@Roundabout finalist, Sundance final-round, Berkeley Rep Ground Floor final-round, Van Lier New Voices Fellowship final-round); Manar (Columbia@Roundabout finalist, Theatre503 Playwriting Award semifinalist); 330 Pegasus: A Love Letter (Jerome NY Fellowship final-round); Dragonflies (2019 Sundance final-round); When My Mama was a Hittite (Columbia@Roundabout finalist), Azul Otra Vez [Blue, Revisited] and Gilded Isle. Melis' screenplay "ARI" ("Bee") was recently at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as part of Maison des Scenaristes, and her pilot of "Manar" was accepted to Trans Atlantic Partners, Orchard Project's Episodic Lab and IFP week. Selected acting credits include: "The Blacklist: Redemption" (NBC), "Seneca" (HBO's NYLFF), Love in Afghanistan (Arena Stage & Roundabout), We Live in Cairo (NAMT, New World Stages), Proof (Edinburgh Fringe). Her song "The Unknowing" made it to the final reel of the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk contest. Melis has worked as Ayad Akhtar's assistant, and given a StoryCorps and TEDx talk. Upcoming: she will be developing a screenplay with Revelations Productions, headed by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary. Training: Columbia (MFA), Tufts (BA), RADA (Acting). Representation: CAA. www.melisaker.com