Nikiya as N'kiyah Franklin in Power Book III: Raising Kanan on Starz
The Actress
Keynote Speaker · Actress · Broadway Wig Designer
She made Broadway history.
Nikiya Mathis is a classically trained, working actress and the first wig designer ever to receive a Special Tony Award. No one else has her story. She knows the stage from both sides and what it takes to be seen, so she speaks with an actor's heart and a designer's proof, leaving audiences ready to walk in their purpose.
When she walks in, people remember who they are. When she walks out, they don't forget her.
First
wig designer ever to receive a Special Tony Award
Pictured: Nikiya speaking at the annual Black Women on Broadway Awards
As featured in
"Nikiya Mathis consistently sets the standard for hair design."
2024 Special Tony Award
A first in Tony Awards history.
For her hair and wig design on Jaja's African Hair Braiding, Nikiya became the first wig designer ever to receive a Special Tony Award. The craft that had always worked behind the curtain finally got called to the front.
"Nikiya Mathis has transformed the approach to hair and wig design and hair maintenance in our theatres."
1st
wig designer to receive a Special Tony Award
2
Drama Desk Awards
3
Henry Hewes Design Awards
Obie
Award winner
MFA
in Acting from NYU, with recurring TV roles
Actress & Designer
An actress who designs. A designer who acts.
Many people in theater pick a side of the curtain. Nikiya works on both. She's the actress in the chair and the designer behind it, and that's why she can hold a room: she speaks with an actor's timing and backs every story with the work.
"I didn't come to design because acting work dried up. I came to it while I was acting. I was figuring out my own hair for my roles, and my castmates saw it and started asking me to do theirs. My design is what it is because I'm an actor. I know what it's like to be on the other side of the camera, and I know what actors need. The acting feeds the design, and the design feeds the acting."
Nikiya's work on Jaja's African Hair Braiding, featured in The New York Times
The Designer
Behind the hair on Broadway
See her design work →Keynotes
Talks that change how a room works.
Every keynote is built from real stories out of real rehearsal rooms, and every one is shaped to your audience, whether that's a company all-hands, a leadership summit or a graduating class.
Signature Keynote
"The One They Didn't Plan For"
Theaters used to call Nikiya for "the one-black-girl's-hair-that-they-did-not-plan-for," often the day before tech. This talk is about what it really costs to include people late, and the HAIRversations approach she built to include them from day one.
Best for: DEI and culture teams, ERGs, entertainment and production companies
Masterclasses & Workshops
She doesn't just talk about the work. She puts it in your hands.
Nikiya teaches hair and wig design masterclasses at NYU Tisch, in both the Graduate Design and Graduate Acting programs, and at other top universities. Her workshops bring the wig room to your campus, company or conference.
HAIRversations
A live panel where actors, a director and a casting director take the questions artists are scared to ask about hair, and answer them honestly.
Wigs & Wine
A relaxed evening of wigs and real talk. Bring your old wigs, and Nikiya brings fun, hands-on styling techniques to revamp them. Great for alumni events, brand activations and team nights.
Design Talkbacks
Post-show conversations on how a production's look gets built, from the first fitting to opening night.
Virtual Wig Design Classes
Live online sessions for programs anywhere in the world.
Masterclasses at: NYU Tisch · Yale · Princeton · Temple · UConn · Sam Houston State University · NAATC · Black Theatre United · The Billie Holiday Theatre · Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Explore masterclasses →Ways to Book Nikiya
Built for your stage.
Main stage, breakout room or a Zoom screen. Tell us the room and we'll shape the session around it.
Keynote
The main stage moment. Story, laughs and a takeaway your people will repeat.
Fireside Chat
A guided conversation with your host, followed by audience questions.
Panel or Moderator
As a panelist, or running the panel herself the way she runs HAIRversations.
Masterclass
Hands-on, small group, real tools. Students leave knowing something new with their hands.
Virtual
Any of the above, live online, for teams and campuses anywhere.
Wigs & Wine
A relaxed evening of wigs and real talk. Bring your old wigs, and Nikiya brings fun, hands-on styling techniques to revamp them.
Perfect forCorporate ERG & DEI eventsBeauty & haircare brandsUniversity lecture seriesIndustry conferencesWomen's leadership eventsNonprofit galas
Watch Nikiya
On podcasts, panels, in classrooms, at the awards.
With Jonathan Van Ness
The hair behind Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
Every year that she comes to speak with my students I can see how much confidence they gain speaking about hair and hair equity in just one lesson. … She brings such joyful energy that puts everyone at ease.
Costume Design Faculty, NYU Tisch School of the Arts
About Nikiya
Onstage, backstage, and holding the door open for the next to come.
Nikiya Mathis is a working actress with an MFA in Acting from NYU and one of Broadway's leading hair and wig designers. Her acting shapes her design, because she knows what it feels like to sit in the chair.
She is also building the path she wished she'd had. Through her design team and internship program, she is bringing people of color into hair and wig design for the theater. And she makes space for actors of color, so they get the hair support they deserve from the audition to opening night.
"My mom was a teacher in Newark, New Jersey. I watched her take money out of her own pocket to provide resources for her students. She instilled in me a heart of service."Read Nikiya's full story →
Book Nikiya
Let's talk about your event.
Tell us about your audience, your date and what you want people to walk away with. Nikiya's team will follow up with availability and next steps.
Prefer email? bookings@nikiyamathis.com
Download the speaker one-sheet (PDF)