Justin Emeka ’95

Biography

Justin Emeka is a director, filmmaker, actor, writer, educator, and Mestre of Capoeira Angola whose work explores the intersections of classical texts, contemporary stories, and Black cultural traditions. His directing and adaptations are recognized for bringing culturally specific performance practices into conversation with both the American canon and new work.

Recent theater credits include his adaptation and direction of A Doll’s House at Two River Theater; Trouble in Mind at Pittsburgh Public Theater; King James at The Old Globe; The Piano Lesson at PlayMakers Repertory Company; and his adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem. He also directed and starred in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running at Pittsburgh Public Theater. Other directing credits include work with Classical Theatre of Harlem, Karamu House, Intiman Theatre, Dobama Theatre, and Oberlin College, where his productions have included Death of a Salesman featuring Avery Brooks, The Bluest Eye, Wedding Band, and Macbeth.

Emeka’s work has increasingly expanded into filmmaking. His award-winning films include Songs of Black Folk, BIOLOGICAL, and Six Winters Gone Still, continuing his exploration of Black life, memory, family, history, and cultural inheritance through the language of cinema.

A longtime practitioner and teacher of Capoeira Angola, Emeka founded one of the first college-based Capoeira Angola programs in the United States, integrating movement, music, history, and academic research. He has received recognition as a Mestre of Capoeira Angola, marking decades of study, practice, teaching, and commitment to the tradition.

At Oberlin College, Emeka is jointly appointed in Theater and Africana Studies, where he serves as Chair and Artistic Director of the Theater Department. His interdisciplinary approach is also reflected in his writing, including the chapter “Seeing Shakespeare through Brown Eyes” in Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches; and "Playing with Race in the New Millenium".

Emeka is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and Actors’ Equity Association serves as a Trustee for the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) and chair of the Lloyd Richard New Futures Residency Program.