Sade’ May

Sade’ May (she/her) is a theatre director, filmmaker, and writer whose work explores how everyday Black performance traditions carry memory, resistance, and care across generations. A proud native of the Chicagoland area, she is currently an MFA Theatre Directing candidate at Texas State University. As a student of African Total Theatre, there her research and creative practice sit at the intersection of theatre, music, dance, ritual, and oral storytelling.

Through directing, teaching, and writing, Sade’ examines how Black communities use performance—onstage and in everyday life—as a tool for survival, connection, and collective imagination. Her work has gained her many accolades, such as Broadway in Chicago awards—as well as acceptances into Oscar-qualifying festivals like the Atlanta Film Festival. Her recent directing credits include The Brothers Size (Texas State University), Rhythm & Blu (OBE Studios), 1-800-GET-SEXY (Raw Daises), Crazy For You (French Woods Festival) and Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution (Assistant Director, Court Theatre).