Kelli Simpkins

Kelli Simpkins is a theater, film and television actor.  She has been a company member of NYC’s Tectonic Theater Project since 1999. She is one of the original creators/dramaturges/performers of The Laramie Project and appears in HBO’s The Laramie Project, for which she and fellow company members share a Humanitas Prize and an Emmy nomination. She is a Tectonic Moment Work teaching artist and has led training labs throughout the country.  She co-wrote, directed and devised an original play with students at Western Michigan University called Good Death, which was subsequently performed at the Kennedy Center’s Region III American College Theatre Festival. Kelli is a contributing writer to the forthcoming book MOMENT WORK—Tectonic Theater Project’s Process of Devising Theater, which will be published and available in April 2018.

After living in New York for fifteen years, Kelli relocated to Chicago. She has worked in Chicago at Steppenwolf Theatre, The Goodman, American Theater Company, Timeline, Victory Gardens and About Face Theater, where she is also an artistic associate.  Kelli returns to NYC frequently to perform and to devise and develop work with longtime artistic collaborators. Kelli is additionally represented by NYC manager Jodi Schoenbrun Carter at 1022m Management. She is a proud recipient of the 2013 3ARTS award.