Actor. MC. Singer. Director.

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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!

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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.

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He can be seen this upcoming summer as Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors at Idaho and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals.

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Instagram: @Jellis14

Twitter: @Too_JEllis

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Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music: Music Theatre.

Proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association.

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