Osiris Khepera

OSIRIS KHEPERA (pronouns: Anything Respectful) is a Chicago-bred Black Queer playwright, poet, actor, teaching artist, and activist. Named as one of six inaugural Russ Tutterow Playwriting Fellows at Chicago Dramatists Theatre, most recently his plays have appeared in the MPAACT Podcast Plays, CIRCLE UP! Reading Series with Jackalope Theatre Company and the Chicago Inclusion Project, National Black Theatre’s I AM SOUL Reading series, the Chicago Theatre Marathon Festival, the MOJOAA Reclamation Festival, and with Greatworks Children’s Theatre Company. He is also a recipient of a 2017 DCASE Individual Artist Grant for his play THE LEGENDARY NANA YAA ASANTEWAA AND THE WAR OF THE GOLDEN STOOL, OR, THEY IS AFRICAN ROYALTY LIVING OFF FUCKIN’ WILSON. As an actor, he can be seen in the recurring role of Cameron/Da Mayor on HBOmax’s SOUTH SIDE (Bashir Sallahudin/Diallo Riddle). Other theatrical credits include BOOYTCANDY (Windy City Playhouse), RUTHERFORD’S TRAVELS (Pegasus Players), BARS & MEASURES (PROP THTR), R.E.A.C.H. (Second City), THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (Theater Unspeakable and Lincoln Center), THE FAG-TIONARY AND RELEVANT HEARSAY: STORIES FROM 57 (MPAACT), HARY AND THE THIEF (Pavement Group), and PASSING STRANGE (Bailiwick Chicago). His poetry is published in “Illinois’s Best Emerging Poets 2018.” In 2021, he received both a Fellowship with the Mass Epiphany Project and The Artist Grant from The Reva and David Logan Foundation, and his prose was recently published in FRUIT BAT PRESS: PRESENTS A VERY CHICAGO DECEMBER.