ABOUT YaoKahlil
Yao Kahlil received his Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Buffalo, where he is completing his PhD in Africana & American Studies (02/01/2024 Conferral). He currently serves as the Artistic Director of the renowned Paul Robeson Theatre of Buffalo, NY, is an adjunct professor at SUNY Fredonia department of Theatre and Dance, and a Graduate teaching assistant at the University of Buffalo, SUNY, department of Africana and American Studies.
Yao Kahlil is the author of a children's book series "Yao, the GREAT!" and another series "Daily Mantras and Affirmations" which are both set to release late Fall 2022. He has also created a line of Mantra Tees that will complement the book series. Some tees are available now, and more are soon to come through subscription service.
As a Creator of Content, Yao Kahlil along with his wife, Tequoyah Newkirk, has formed "Parent Chronicles" which can soon be found on all social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. The talk show begins taping November 2022, and focuses on blended families and all things parenting.
As an emerging scholar, Yao Kahlil's research draws from the disciplines of Theatre Performance, Africana & American Studies and Art. With influences such as Artists Kara Walker, Nick Cave, Teching Hsu and Playwrights Lorraine Hansberry, and August Wilson, his installations strive to explore origin stories and themes of intra-racial experience, transracial experience, and concealed identity in performance. Social experiments are fused into the fabric of his art.
"With the current state of global pandemic, isolation and quarantine, practitioners of theatre and art are placed in an unprecedented and unique position of relying on technology to reach audiences in ways not previously, thoroughly understood. This is where the creativity of true artists is sharpened, and great new forms of pedagogy and performance are birthed. I hope to be part of that movement."
- YaoKahlil