In May 2016, Shawn Nabors, actor and writer from Brooklyn, New York, will be attaining an MFA in Acting from the American Repertory Theater/Moscow School for the Arts Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. In addition to being a classically trained actor, Shawn is also a talented writer and producer, creating powerful pieces that are both thought provoking and that challenge the perceptions of society. When he was 14 years old, Shawn was the winner of “Positively Negative”, an HIV/AIDS National Story-Writing Competition for youth ages 14-22. His story, “The Hard Way”, was adapted into a screenplay and made into an HIV/AIDS educational film which was distributed nationwide to schools, health departments and other youth-serving organizations nationwide. In 2012, Shawn created his first original stage play, titled, “CAKE”, produced Off-Broadway in collaboration with Broadway Producing Company, The Araca Group, at the American Theater of Actors in New York City. In 2015, through the My True Colors Festival in Harlem, New York, Shawn created and produced his first solo performance piece titled “America, and the Adventures of Nat Turn-Up”. This piece was in direct response to the epidemic of violence acted out upon black bodies, men, women and trans-people, throughout the history of America, including the present day. Through his work Shawn hopes to bring unique faces and stories of colour to the forefront of mainstream entertainment in innovative, authentic and global wide reaching ways.
