Native New Yorker Akin is a multi-talented actor, director, and writer with a storied career spanning Broadway, regional theatre, film, and television. His extensive experience includes being a resident company member at esteemed institutions such as Trinity Rep in Providence, Rhode Island, Alley Theater in Houston, Texas, La Mama Theater in New York City, and the Dallas Theater Center.
As a founder and artistic director, Akin established the Vivid Theater Ensemble of Dallas and the Ebony Emeralds Classic Theater Company. His direction of the Dallas Shakespeare Festival's production of Taming of the Shrew in 1993 marked a significant milestone as the first African American to helm the show.
As a writer, Akin's work has been commissioned by prominent organizations such as Florida Stage, La Mama Theater, the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, Brown University, the Black Academy of Arts, and the Core Ensemble. His latest project, Shakespeare - Midnight Echoes, pays tribute to black performing artists who have interpreted Shakespeare's works from slavery to the present.
Akin has toured extensively with Core Ensemble in Of Ebony Embers - Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance and has performed his one-man show, Before the Second Set - A Visit with Satchmo, to critical acclaim across the country. He wrote and starred in Blind Lemon Blues, which premiered in Europe and received rave reviews in the New York Times at its 2004 New York premiere at Central Park's Summer Stage.
Akin's television appearances include Law and Order and the PBS family-oriented literary television series, "Wishbone". His work has earned him several awards, including the Dallas Observer Best Actor Award, the Dallas Critics Forum Award, the Legacy of Success, and the Alvin Ailey Performing Arts Award.
Akin is also a renowned arts educator, having undertaken five long-term artist residencies in under-served communities in Florida, where he created new music theatre works alongside at-risk teens and community members. LaMama Theater's Ellen Stewart describes him as "one of those rare geniuses who comes into our lives."
Akin holds a Master of Arts degree in Arts and Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas.
