Melis Aker is a multifaceted artist, writer, actor, and musician of Turkish origin, currently based in London and New York. Her impressive credentials include being named a "Woman to Watch" by the Broadway Women's Fund and receiving numerous grants and fellowships.
Aker is developing a series with Skybound Entertainment and the musical play "Hundred Feet Tall" with Benjamin Scheuer and Katy Rudd at the Old Vic. She has had her writing commissioned and developed at various prestigious institutions, including the Sundance Interdisciplinary Program, New York Theatre Workshop, and the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center.
Her plays have garnered significant attention, with "Field" being a finalist for the Columbia@Roundabout and Sundance festivals, and "Awakening" being a finalist for the Kilroy's List and Sundance festivals. Other notable plays include "Dragonflies," "Scraps and Things," "AZUL," "Mother and the Beast," "Fractio Panis," "Hound Dog," "Manar," "330 Pegasus: A Love Letter," "Indigo Dreams," "OPET Diaries," and "Gilded Isle."
Aker has also made a name for herself as an actor and musician. She has appeared in TV shows such as "The Equalizer" and "The Blacklist: Redemption," and has released a series of seasonal session EPs with acoustic versions of her songs. Her song "The Unknowing" was a finalist in the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk contest.
Aker has taught at NYU and The New School, and is currently working on her debut novel through her PhD at King's College London, where she also teaches. She holds an MFA from Columbia University, a Certificate for Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and a BA from Tufts University.
