Theater & Music Theater Guest Artists

Nikiya Mathis

Nikiya Mathis headshot

Photo courtesy Nikiya Mathis

About

Nikiya Mathis is a multi-hyphenate artist, with an MFA in Acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She has originated roles in world-premiere plays, including Oscar-winner Tarell Alvin McCraney's THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS, at the Public Theatre, Olivier Award-winner Dominique Morrisseau's SKELETON CREW at Atlantic Theatre, Kirsten Greenidge's MILK LIKE SUGAR at Playwrights Horizon's, Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage's NY revival of FABULATION; OR THE RE-EDUCATION OF UNDINE at the Signature Theater, and others. Her television credits include The Last O.G., Chicago Med, New Amsterdam, The Blacklist and more.

Nikiya created ActTRESSES Design and Consulting company after years of experiencing her own hair-horror stories, as well as the challenges of other actors of color in theater and television sets. She specializes in wig design and styling for actors of color in film, television and theater.

Actors she has styled for include TV stars Anika Noni Rose, Susan Kalechi Watson, Dewanda Wise, John Torturro, Andre Holland, Angela Lewis and Adrienne C. Moore, along with Broadway stars Pascale Armand, Susan Hayward, Carra Patterson, Q Smith and more. Nikiya's hair/wig designs and styles have also appeared on television shows such as Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Someone Great, and Charmed, among others. Her theatrical style & design work has been seen in productions at The Public Theatre (For Colored Girls)  Signature Theatre (Big Love and By the Way Meet Vera Stark), New York Theatre Workshop (Hurricane Diane), MCC (Relevance), Soho Rep (For all the Women Who Thought They We're Mad), Women's Project (Our Fear Dead Drug Lord), Ars Nova (Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of The Future), Page 73 Productions @Walker Space (Stew), Ensemble Studio Theatre, Classical Theater of Harlem, National Black Theater, Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre, Longwharf Theatre (An Iliad) Berkshire Theatre (Hair), Theatre Works (Sunset Baby), NYU Tisch (Bulrusher, Three Days In the Country, Project/Project), American Academy of Dramatic Art (Picnic) and Barnard College (Funny House of a Negro).