Nehprii Amenii
“My work focuses on what I call “Creative Anthropology.” This means that I am interested in the study of what makes us human, and the interconnectedness of all people and things. I’m particularly interested in the excavation and reconstruction of African peoples of the diaspora, who have gone through a unique process of cultural erasure. The same as an archeological restoration artist uses chemicals and swabs to preserve and care for cultural objects, I use the imagination, personal narrative, and performing objects, in attempt to restore what has been damaged in humanity…. and to create new worlds. HUMAN, my current work in development is based on the understanding in African philosophy that we are not born human; rather it is something we must learn to become. This work is my attempt to both express and perhaps salvage this thing once called the “HUMAN being.”
Nehprii Amenii is a Brooklyn based writer, director, and educator. As a theatre artist, she has a passion for personal narratives, puppetry, and grand-scale spectacle, known for creating experiences that dismantle the wall between players and audiences and inspire new ways of seeing and thinking. She is the founding artistic director of Khunum Productions, a creative consulting and production company. She’s worked with Penumbra Theatre Co, The Flea, Pan Asian Rep Theatre, Bushwick Starr, Iati Theatre, La MaMa, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre, Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, Virginia Stage Co, Lumber Yard Performing Arts, Holland Festival, Minnesota Orchestra, Bread & Puppet Theatre, The Public Theatre, the NY Phil Harmonic at Lincoln Center, and Cirque Du Soleil. As an educator for 20 years, she uses puppetry, multi-media arts and story telling to mentor teachers and to teach English to young immigrants within NYC public schools. She’s taught at numerous colleges and is currently teaching Directing for Puppetry at the University of CT. Nehprii has received myriad awards and grants for her original work in the U.S. and abroad; served on the advisory committee of the Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry, and is a member of The Playwriting Center, Stage Directors and Choreographers Union, and the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. She studied Cultural Anthropology with the International Khepran Institute, holds a BA in Creative Communications from the University of MN, and an MFA in Theatre Production from Sarah Lawrence College. In 2020, she was commissioned by The Movement Theatre Co and a recipient of the Puppet Showplace Black Puppeteer Empowerment Grant.
Find out more about Maria by going to www.nehpriiamenii.com or check her out on social media below.