Baker Artist Portfolios

NIGEL SEMAJ (they/them) is a Baltimore-based director, movement director, and educator originally from Washington,D.C. As an Assistant Professor of Performance and Affiliate Assistant Professor of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Nigel’s work is rooted in fostering inclusive and equitable theatrical spaces through anti-racist pedagogies and restorative practices.

Nigel’s directing career spans a wide range of work, including the Off-Broadway premiere of Bloodshot by Elinor T. Vanderburg, Ntozake Shange’s Spell #7, and most recently Bryony Lavery’s Slime. Nigel’s work speaks to those who have let the sadness in—for those who have been attuned to the haunting wail of the banshee. Often exploring themes of grief, violence, and the hardships of life, their work seeks to embrace the darkness from within. This work is evident in their adaptation work, projects like 10,000 Moor, an all-woman adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus exploring rage and violence, For Hylas—an adaptation of the Hercules myth exploring love, loss, and grief, and Call Me By Any Other Name…Just As Sweet, a queer deconstruction of Romeo and Juliet. Upcoming adaptations include in the darkest forest, exploring Shakespeare’s forested worlds, and the serpent under’t, exploring the elements of horror and supernatural complexities of Macbeth.

Having trained under companies such as Frantic Assembly, Pig Iron, and Tectonic Theatre Company, Nigel approaches movement as a pivotal tool in storytelling. Their work can be found in plays, operas, musicals, and films. Notable credits include movement direction and fight choreography on Heartbeat Opera Company’s Fidelio, fight and movement for Sarah Young’s award-winning short film Not Him, and Federico Lorca’s Blood Wedding. Their dedication to creating accessible and inclusive performance is reflected in their academic work, which focuses on developing anti-racist pedagogies in theatre education. Nigel is a board member of the American Alliance for Theatre Education, Maryland Theatre Educators Association, and co-chair of the Irene Ryans Acting Scholarship for Region II’s Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Nigel’s adaptation Call Me By Any Other Name…Just As Sweet was a Finalist for the Vanguard Arts Fund at Olney Theatre, and is now an artist in residence at The Voxel in Baltimore where they will produce the adaptation in 2025.