Lisa Strum, a Philadelphia native living and working in the New York area is a director, an educator, actress, playwright, producer, casting director, singer and a certified wedding officiant! She received an MFA in Acting from the University of Washington in Seattle and has performed in regional theatres all across the country. Most recently she was one of the directors for “All Hands On Deck”, a Virtual Reading Series with Project Y Theatre Company. She also directed For Colored Girls... (Region 1 Kennedy Center Award Winning College Production), FALL by France-Luce Benson for the Marathon 2019 One Act Play Festival with Ensemble Studio Theatre, and is currently directing Flyin’ West at Five Towns College and BALTIMORE by Kirsten Greenidge at Ramapo College. She starred as Rose in FENCES with the REP at The University of Delaware and Virginia REP. Lisa also starred in the Michigan Premiere of Dominique Morisseu’s PIPELINE at the Detroit Public Theatre, and SWEAT at People’s Light. Her solo play, She Gon' Learn premiered at the Emerging Artist Theatre Festival at TADA!, followed by sold out performances at the United Solo Festival on Theatre Row in NYC where the play received one of the festival's Best Solo Show Awards. Other She Gon' Learn performances include: The Obie Award Winning Fire This Time Festival; The National Black Theatre; The New Black Fest at The Lark Play Development Center; The Roselle Center for the Arts at University of Delaware, York College, Miami University in Ohio, a workshop production at The Jersey City Theatre Center in New Jersey, and the headlining show for the inaugural Alumni Theatre Event at Albright College. As an actor, Lisa has worked at Lincoln Center Theatre with Thomas Kail, appeared at Summer Stage, Signature Theatre, New Federal Theatre, Intiman Theatre, The Obie Award Winning 48 Hours in...Harlem,
ACT and The Fifth Avenue Theatre in Seattle. Lisa has also had a recurring role on “Law & Order: SVU”, co-stared in the television pilot “Citizen Baines” with James Cromwell from BABE and LA Confidential, and just recently co-starred on the “The Blacklist”. As an educational consultant, she has conducted numerous artist and professional development workshops in public schools, colleges and universities all over the country. Lisa is a staff facilitator at Columbia University for The Literacy Unbound Summer Institute and was the Theatre Specialist for the Abrons Arts Center, Barbara L. Tate Summer Arts Program at the historic Henry Street Settlement for nine seasons. Lisa was a Finalist for the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award, was the recipient of the Playwrights Initiative Fellowship at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, was nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Best Outstanding Actress in a Play, and received a Broadway World Award for Best Actress in the Regional production of FENCES at The REP.