Artist Roster

Sharece Sellem-Hannah merges the power of storytelling with public health to create transformational experiences for both audiences and institutions. She holds a Master of Science in Community Health & Prevention Science, a Bachelor’s in American Studies, and is currently completing her MFA in Playwriting & Screenwriting at Point Park University.

In 2019, Sharece was honored with the Dr. Floyd Gaffney National Playwriting Award for the African-American Experience by the University of California, San Diego, recognizing her bold voice and commitment to illuminating stories of vulnerable communities through the arts.

Her body of work spans stage, screen, and advocacy, including (but not limited to):

Becoming La Baker– a solo theatrical tribute to Josephine Baker, performed at the Donald Oat Theater in Norwich, CT

Legends of the Forgotten Borough – an original stage play written, directed, and produced by Sharece, honoring the legacy of hip-hop and R\&B pioneers, The Force MDs

Matthew Rising– a powerful stage play exploring youth, opioids, and the dark web (also adapted into a filmed version) used in community health education focused discussions

Silence on the Streets– a documentary she created and directed, filmed by Film Haven, executive produced by Rob Lawlor and Anna Gasinski, funded by Overdose Response Strategy (ORS-CT), New England HIDTA, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). It toured Delaware with the support of Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium in 2024 in partnership with faith-based communities and universities, sparking urgent dialogue on addiction and systemic inequities.

As a previous director of Long Wharf Theatre’s New Haven Play Project (2019–2020), Sharece worked with elderly individuals, immigrants, and refugees. She has also worked with artists (various disciplines), people in recovery, and incarcerated individuals to help bring their lived experiences to film in a creative docu-style series of vignettes. She also served as a teaching artist with Arts for Learning Connecticut, designing creative residencies that support healing and self-expression for youth (K–12).

Her TEDx Talk, “What Human Services Is Missing,” calls for human service organizations to integrate the arts as a standard—not just a "nice-to-have"—in community outreach and professional development. In higher education, she teaches in the Human Services Department as an adjunct professor, where she encourages emerging professionals to think critically and creatively about the systems they work within.

Performing Arts: Sharece owns, Vintage Soul Productions LLC a performing arts-focused company dedicated to developing plays and documentary film projects. 

Community Health Education: She recently co-launched a community health coaching and consulting company with David Hannah, Feel the Future LLC with a focus on community wellness through creative workshops, professional development and programs.

How Organizations Can Work with Sharece:

• Storytelling & Monologue-Writing Residencies – guide youth, clients, or staff in shaping personal narratives for healing, awareness, or advocacy

• Play Readings with Guided Talkbacks – present original works with facilitated dialogue on community issues and recovery themes

• Arts for Advocacy Workshops & Trainings – equip professionals and students to use theatre, narrative, and film in outreach, engagement, and systems change

• Creative Professional Development for Staff – enhance training with interactive, arts-based experiences that build reflection, compassion, and connection

• Screenings of Documentaries or Filmed Plays + Facilitated Discussions – use, Silence on the Streets, or, Matthew Rising, to inspire conversation and community learning

• Commissioned Scripts & Live Performances – develop original performances that align with your mission or program goals

• Guest Lectures & Speaking Engagements – from human services systems to storytelling, Sharece offers dynamic presentations that challenge and inspire

With a rare blend of lived experience, academic training, and creative vision, Sharece Sellem-Hannah helps organizations humanize data, deepen impact, and bring powerful stories to the forefront of health, education, and healing.

Wisdom Speaks: Creative Aging Through Story & Theatre

Facilitated by Sharece Sellem-Hannah, MS

Wisdom Speaks is a creative aging program that invites older adults (55+) to explore personal storytelling through theatre, poetry, and performance. Designed and led by award-winning playwright and community health educator Sharece Sellem-Hannah, the program uplifts the voices of elders by helping them transform memories into meaningful art.

Rooted in Sharece’s work with Long Wharf Theatre’s New Haven Play Project—featured in Arts Paper—the program honors the depth and wisdom of life experience. Participants engage in reflection, connection, and creative exploration while reducing isolation and celebrating aging as a time of renewed expression.

Workshops, classes, and residencies are tailored for senior centers, libraries, community-based organizations, and intergenerational programs.

Workshop Offerings Include:

• Themed Story Circles – Guided storytelling sessions centered on life themes such as migration, love, work, loss, and transformation

• Monologue Writing & Performance – Turn personal stories into short, powerful monologues for sharing or stage performance

• Choreopoems: Movement & Memory – Combine poetry, movement, and memory into collaborative or solo creative pieces

• One-Person Show Creation – Support and structure for participants interested in crafting and performing their own solo theatrical piece

• Page to Stage Readings – Group-developed scenes and monologues brought to life in performance, inspired by major historical moments such as the Great Depression, World Wars, Civil Rights Movement, or key neighborhood events

• Creative Reflection Journals – Artistic writing sessions blending journaling, prompts, and group discussion to spark creativity and healing

• History in Harmony – A multi-sensory experience using music, oral history, and storytelling to strengthen connection and memory