director | developer.
Shelby R. Seeley (she/her) is a Yale-certified director and new work developer from "Downriver" Michigan. She is currently serving as Associate Artistic Director & Literary Manager at Theatre NOVA in Ann Arbor, MI. Collaborators call Shelby nuanced, honest, passionate, and creative.
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Shelby goes to the theatre to be affirmed, challenged, and ignited. Amidst the American loneliness epidemic, she goes to experience something as a collective and form a deeper connection with her community. She's inspired by violently tender, ferally feminine narratives that challenge the theatrical form. Her aim is to cultivate a transformative, resonant, and communal theatrical event.​
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She has directed for Theatre NOVA, Flint Repertory Theatre, the 48th Annual Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival, Open Book Theatre Company, Planet Ant Theatre, BoxFest Detroit, Renaissance City Repertory Theatre, Phoenix Theatre Productions and more.
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Shelby produced "Sassafras and the Captain" for the Fresh Fruit Festival in NYC, winning the award for "Outstanding Production of 2022".​ From 2017-2023,
Shelby was the Director of Theatre at Patrick Henry Middle School, where she directed 12 productions and taught hundreds of students. The program goal was to engage, enlighten, and empower students through theatrical productions. She also has professional playwright assisting ("The Future Is Female", Flint Repertory Theatre), acting (University of Michigan's CRLT Players; Michigan Shakespeare Festival Interstate Touring Company; "The Call of the Void" Podcast), and teaching experience.
Shelby attended Yale University's summer session and received a Certificate in Directing (2021) and the Kennedy Center Directing Intensive (2021). She earned her BS in Theatre Arts from Eastern Michigan University (2020).