Director, Storyteller, Visionary

Weyni Mengesha

Passionate about curating programming that ignites cultural conversations, Weyni Mengesha is a Canadian, award-winning stage and film director, and one of the first Black artistic directors of a major theatre company known for her groundbreaking work and community engagement.

Born in Vancouver to parents from Ethiopia, Mengesha grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, and from 2006 to 2008 was a member of Soulpepper Theatre Company’s training program, Soulpepper Academy.  She later served as Artistic Director of the renowned artist-driven company from 2019 to 2025. The impact of her work was so profound that upon the announcement of her departure, a decision was made by the company to rename the Tank House Theatre to the Weyni Mengesha Theatre.

In addition to Soulpepper Academy, Mengesha has instructed at the National Theatre School of Canada and the Canadian Film Centre. She also served as co-artistic director and teacher with A.M.Y Project (Artists Mentoring Youth) for seven years.

Mengesha has directed wildly successful productions, including “‘da Kink in My Hair” and Kim’s Convenience, that have gone on to break records and tour both nationally and internationally before later being developed into television series airing on CBC, Global, and Netflix.

Outside of Canada, Mengesha has directed plays in London, New York, and Los Angeles, garnering a NAACP nomination for Best Direction as well as multiple Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations and wins.

In 2017, Mengesha was named one of the Women in View’s – a national not-for-profit organization’s – “Five in Focus” identifying five rising film directors across Canada. In 2018, she was named one of The 50 Most Influential Torontonians by Toronto Life magazine.