Sunam Ellis is a classically trained actor based in Seattle and the 2018 winner of the Theatre Puget Sound Gregory Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington’s Professional Actors Training Program (2015) and was selected for the Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training (2014).
Recent regional credits include Catherine Dickens in the world premiere of Mr. Dickens and His Carol (Seattle Rep) and Anne Steele / Mrs. Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility (Village Theatre). In front of the camera Sunam has experience in a feature film, regional and national broadcast television, and industrials for regional and national clients.
Known for her deep character work in shows like Uncle Vanya (Seagull Project), The Revolutionists (ArtsWest), and Mrs. Caliban (Book-It Repertory Theatre), Sunam has established a reputation for her excellent comedic timing, including her award-winning role as Margery in Hand to God (Seattle Public Theater).
Theater can be a tool for social change and community building. Theater can help foster empathy and understanding and promote social justice. Theater can change lives.
Sunam has seen first-hand the powerful impact theater can have. Thanks to the amazing work of organizations like Freehold Theatre and Jack Straw Cultural Center, she’s had opportunities to bring theater and creative performance to culturally underserved populations—from prisons and schools to disadvantaged neighborhoods and underrepresented cultural groups. Whether it is a hands-on workshop with students or Shakespeare in the park, engaged theater creates opportunities to share stories and experiences with others, and to view our own experiences through a different lens.
To learn more about engaged theater and how it’s changing lives in the Pacific Northwest, check out the following organizations.
