Bio

Stori Ayers is a New York-based actress, director and producer originally from Washington, DC. She has a passion for stories that challenge social norms, create conversations in the community, and ignite within her generation a spirit of activism. Stori is an original cast member and producer of Dominique Morisseau’s Blood at the Root, winner of the Graham F. Smith Peace Foundation Prize for its promotion of human rights. This past year she played Regina on the TBS hit series The Last O.G. starring Tiffany Haddish. Other acting credits include: The Christians (Chautauqua Theater Company); Gem of the Ocean (Round House Theatre); Travisville (Ensemble Studio Theatre, NYC); A Raisin in the Sun (Indiana Repertory Theatre & Syracuse Stage); Foster Mom (Premiere Stages); Detroit '67 (Chautauqua Theater Company); Barbecue (Pennsylvania Centre Stage); Jitney (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Yellowman (Anacostia Playhouse); Blood at the Root (National Black Theatre, Pennsylvania Centre Stage, Grahamstown Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival); Father Comes Home From the Wars Parts 1, 2 and 3 (Round House Theatre); Doubt; Love's Labours Lost; In the Red and Brown Water (Pennsylvania Centre Stage); and An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein; Voodoo, Sex, & Magic (Horizon Theatre).

As a director, Stori assistant directed the world premiere of August Wilson's one-man show, "How I Learned What I Learned," at the Signature Theatre in New York City staring Ruben Santiago-Hudson. She just recently served as the 2018 & 2019 Directing Fellow at Chautauqua Theater Company where she wrote & directed a devised theatre piece and assistant directed An Octoroon (Dir. Giovanna Sardelli), Into the Breeches (Dir. Laura Kepley), One Man Two Guvnors (Dir. Andrew Borba) and Amish Project (Dir. Sarah Wansley). Other directing credits include: Night Vision (Playing On Air); Skeleton Crew (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati); Blood at the Root (University of Michigan); Single Black Female (Penn State School of Theatre); Hip Hoperella; Here I Go, Boys. Wish Me Luck; and Fires In the Mirror (Fletcher Collins Theatre). 

This past year Stori partnered with her classmate from graduate school to co-create, co-write, co-produce and co-star in her own web series entitled THE NEXT RIGHT THING. The series follows two best friends in New York City embarking on a journey to live their best lives. They hope to be one step closer to the women they want to be, but more often then not they find themselves only able to do the next right thing. Stori’s web series has been accepted into the HollyWeb Festival, The Reel Sisters Festival, the New York Indie Theatre Film Festival, the Bronze Lens Festival, the Miami Web Fest where it was nominated for Best Dramedy and the 2018 NYC Web Fest where it was nominated for Best Pilot. 

Stori is a proud member of Actors’ Equity, holds a B.A. from Mary Baldwin University, an MFA in Acting from Penn State University, and is the former Executive & Writing Assistant to writers Dominique Morisseau and Katori Hall.