Neema Bal

Co-Artistic Director

Neema Bal is a physical theatre artist is to represent the stories of his community in a way that not only reflects and heals the traumas from the past, but also creates a space for reimagining a positive future. He is a former refugee from the Bhutanese-Nepali-American community who resettled in Akron in 2013 and became a citizen of the United States in 2019. He began his theatrical journey from Suruwath Theatre, a theatre company that provided artistic opportunities for theatre artists living throughout the refugee camps in Nepal. (“Suruwath” means beginning something new). After moving to the United States, he believed that theatre could be his career even during a time of immense change. Neema was encouraged and supported his friends, community, and mostly importantly from his family. He self-produced more than three productions presented in his native language of Nepali with his community. Since 2017, Neema has worked as Co-Artistic Director of Gum-Dip Theatre which excites him as a method of creating multilingual plays for, with, and about marginalized communities. He has performed original theatre in nearly 40 different locations throughout Northeast Ohio. Recent acting credits include: Three Countries, One Mother, Brokers Without Borders (GDT), Passion’s Play (New World Performance Laboratory), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, The Lower Depths, Big Love (UA), Denied Admission, My North Hill, Rebranding the City, Imprisoned, Namaste-WHAT?, and In Search of Alternative Dreams (Gum-Dip Theatre). As a 2019 winner of the Knight Arts Challenge for Three Countries, One Mother, he sees the project as an important process for his community because of the ways it will bring them together in storytelling, and then have an opportunity to share it throughout the United States. He has been featured in two public photography exhibits by Shane Wynn and Erin LaBelle is a recipient of a 2020 Akron Soul Train artist residency.