STEPHANIE BERRY
“Growing up in Harlem during the 1960s, I was immersed in a time of profound political and cultural uprising. It was here that my seeds of creativity and purpose were planted. The era, marked by the Vietnam War, civil rights protests, and The people’s arts movement— reflected in the vibrant music, powerful paintings, sidewalk speeches, and emerging literary voices shaped my world. I found my voice through the arts. ”
Stage Television & Film
Stephanie was recently seen in The Gospel at Colonus at Little Island, where she made history as the first woman to portray both the Preacher and Oedipus. Other recent credits include Aunt Ester in Gem of the Ocean at Two River Theater, Staff Meal at Playwrights Horizons, Malvolio at Classical Theater of Harlem, and A Bandaged Placeat the Roundabout Theatre.
AWARDS
Stephanie is a two-time OBIE Award winner for her performances in On Sugarland at New York Theatre Workshop and The Shaneequa Chronicles: The Making of a Black Woman. This one- woman production, emerged from her journals and personal reflections. It debuted at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, earning her the OBIE Award, AUDELCO, and the Harlem Stage New Voices Award.
ART AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Stephanie’s roots in Harlem and her family’s activism shaped her dedication to community and justice. In 1984, she founded Blackberry Productions a theater company that uses the arts as a tool for social change, education and community engagement. The company became the first to bring repertory theater to the world famous Apollo Theater.
Stephanie worked for many years as a language arts educator at the Young Adult Learning Academy (YALA), pioneering arts-in-education programs that fostered personal awareness and academic curiosity. Her innovative teaching methods and curricula led her to teach at Sarah Lawrence College, Rutgers University, and City College.