Perpich News
Nimene Wureh (Theater 2016) Prepares for Milestone Broadway Moment
December 10, 2025
From her first experiences on stage to a Broadway principal debut, Nimene Sierra Wureh’s journey is a powerful testament to perseverance, preparation, and the life‑changing impact of mentorship.
Nimene Wureh (Theater 2016)
A 2016 graduate of Perpich Arts High School in the Theater program, Wureh arrived at Perpich with curiosity and courage, but little formal performance experience. “I had never done any kind of performing before I came to Perpich,” she recalls. Surrounded by classmates who had grown up in community theater, she leaned into the opportunity to learn, explore, and discover her voice. What she found was not only a passion for theater, but a community that believed in her at a critical moment in her life.
That belief would prove transformative. During her junior and senior years, Nimene navigated profound personal challenges. Throughout it all, Perpich faculty and staff, especially Theater instructor Tory Peterson, counselor Lisa Quiring, and French teacher Madame Trina Keller, provided steadfast support. “They probably saved my life,” Wureh tearfully says. “They helped me stay on a great trajectory and reminded me that I could build a future for myself.”
Peterson, in particular, played a pivotal role in helping Nimene imagine a professional future in acting. “He was the first person who ever told me I could actually be an actor,” she says. Through encouragement, rigorous training, and connections to the Twin Cities theater community, Nimene began to see acting not just as an interest, but as a calling.
Poster for August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”, set to premiere on Broadway in spring 2026
At Perpich, she discovered a love for improvisation and physical storytelling, skills that would become foundational to her career. Lessons about presence, collaboration, and knowing when to give or take focus continue to guide her work today. “I think about those moments all the time,” she reflects. “They still shape how I show up in rehearsal rooms.”
After graduating from Perpich, Nimene went on to earn her BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2022. Her career quickly gained momentum, leading to roles both on and off Broadway. In the past two years alone, she has appeared in three Broadway productions, including “Our Town” alongside Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes, and “Mary Jane” with Rachel McAdams, where she served as an understudy and learned from some of the industry’s most respected performers.
Now, Wureh is preparing for a milestone moment: her principal Broadway debut as Maddie Campbell in August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”, set to premiere in spring 2026. Directed by the legendary Debbie Allen and starring Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer, the production marks a major turning point in her career. “I feel ready now,” Nimene says. “I’ve lived some life, learned from failure and success, and found confidence in how I work. This is coming at exactly the right time.”
Nimene Wureh (Theater 2016) visited Perpich in April 2019 while performing in “School Girls or The African Mean Girls Play” at the Jungle Theatre. She is pictured with Tory Peterson, Theater Instructor.
As she steps into this new chapter, Wureh remains deeply grateful for the educators and mentors who helped her believe in herself when it mattered most. She stays in close contact with Tory Peterson and credits him with setting her on the path she walks today. She recently visited with Tory’s current theater students, joining them for a virtual conversation as they wrapped their December show, Angela Carter’s “Company of Wolves”.
Nearly a decade after graduating from Perpich, Nimene Sierra Wureh is not only achieving extraordinary professional success, she is becoming the kind of artist others look to for inspiration. And her story is still being written.
Website: https://www.nimene.com/
Instagram: @nimenesierrawureh