Samiyyah Ali
(she/her)
Washington Improv TheaterBeginning with her acting debut as “Playing Card #2” in a middle school rendition of Alice in Wonderland, Samiyyah has a long history of playing made-up characters.
Over time, and once Samiyyah was given actual lines to deliver onstage, she fell in love with all things theater, including dancing ballet in the Nutcracker, playing the violin for musicals, and performing the monologues of old, wise Black women in period pieces. After finding that her work as a lawyer wasn’t that funny, she began taking improv and sketch classes.
These days, you can find her performing with WIT ensemble Uncle Gorgeous and 2024 FIST Champion, Kinfolk, as well as indie teams Baggage Claim and Out Loud. She’s also performed in WIT’s productions of (y)Our Town and Not a Pyramid Scheme, Hold Up! A Black Book Club, Just for Laughs’ Characters Welcome, and Story District’s Out/Spoken. Samiyyah also does improv with her wife, Krystal Ali, including hosting The Ultimate Queer Game Show and co-directing What Had Happened Was: An Improvised Black Sitcom.
Inspired by a true story.
Photo Credit: Jeff Salmore