Ohio made; Harlem molded. LOVES his Black Labrador, black coffee and BLACK LIVES. Grateful to be a proud advocate for LGBTQ+ artists’ perspectives in hip-hop! While always fully committed to being in the present... he is only a suitcase and a plane ticket away from moving to Hawaii and living off the grid!
As a long time actor, improvisor, instructor and musician, has coached, directed and performed for The Kennedy Center (KCACTF), “America’s Got Talent”, Broadway, the historic main-stage of Carnegie Hall and even digitally, for Freestyle+ (Freestyle Love Supreme-Academy). He also Created/directed the fully improvised hip-hop musical “BARS”, produced by Playhouse Square & Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory.
His stage credits include; BROADWAY & 1st NAT. TOUR and LAS VEGAS: Jellis J “Freestyle Love Supreme”, OFF-BROADWAY: Narrator (Stew), “Passing Strange''; Eugene, “Black Hole Wedding" at Signature Theatre; Monty, Theatrical Rights Worldwide - Premier of “Saturday Night Fever”. Screen credits include; "Wormwood Falling" (Tubi/Shriek Theatre), “Poncho” (London Independent Film Festival winner); SJC Films’ “Interrogation” (Dir. Stephen Caple Jr. “The Land”, “Creed II”); as well as various commercial and voice over work.
Jay most recently completed a successful Broadway run, 1st National tour and residency at the Venetian Hotel and Casino with TONY award winning Freestyle Love Supreme (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Anthony Veneziale) feat. Wayne Brady, James Monroe Igelhart, Christopher Jackson, Utkarsh Ambukar and more.
He can be seen this upcoming summer as Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors at Idaho and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals.
Instagram: @Jellis14
Twitter: @Too_JEllis
Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music: Music Theatre.
Proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association.
COMING SOON
Jay will be playing Audrey II in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS this summer at:
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