Aleshea Harris is an American playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, and artist whose work bridges theater, film, and television. She first gained national attention with her bold, original play Is God Is, which premiered in 2018 and was honored with the American Playwriting Foundation’s Relentless Award and three Obie Awards for playwriting, directing, and performance. Harris’s work often centers on themes of identity, justice, and cultural transformation, and she has been recognized with prestigious honors including the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, and the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. What to Send Up When It Goes Down, her influential play-pageant-ritual response to anti-Black violence, enjoyed an acclaimed Off-Broadway run and extensive national productions, earning special commendations from the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her follow-up play On Sugarland was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, further cementing her reputation as one of her generation’s most impactful voices in American theater.

Transitioning her storytelling to the screen, Harris has expanded into film and television. On camera, she appeared in a 2023 episode of Gossip Girl, and she lent her voice to the short Deluge (2014). Behind the camera, she adapted her own play Is God Is into a feature film, serving as writer and director for the 2026 production slated for release via Orion Pictures.

Harris’s work in theater and film has been supported by residencies and fellowships, including two MacDowell fellowships and multiple honors that recognize artistic innovation and excellence. With a growing body of work that spans formats and genres, Harris continues to push boundaries in American storytelling while earning critical acclaim and a dedicated following.