IMANI MITCHELL is a theatre director, actor, writer, and a 2025 Drama League Fellow. She is also the founder of IAM Studios, a production company dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices in film and theater. Her work is shaped by rhythm, music, and ensemble-driven storytelling, often centering families, womanhood, and the complexity and beauty of the Black experience.
Imani has worked extensively across stage and screen for over a decade, performing in regional theater, film, and commercials. Some of her stage directing credits include CHICKEN AND BISCUITS (Celebration Arts, 2025) ZORA & LANGSTON (SheLA Theater Festival, 2024), CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY (Celebration Arts, 2024), and the upcoming I AND YOU (Capital Stage, 2025). In 2019 she wrote, directed, and produced her first feature film, WHIRLPOOL, shot entirely in her hometown of Sacramento with local cast and crew.
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Drawn to rich world-building and sharp, character-driven dialogue, Imani thrives in excavating scripts for nuance and vulnerability, pushing toward moments that are revealing, lyrical, and deeply human.