MAECHI AHARANWA
FOUNDER . ACTOR . ARCHITECT OF CREATIVE ECOSYSTEMS
Founder, PinMe 1913 | Creator of The Actor as Architect
STAY CONNECTED
Thriving at the intersection of performance, design, and cultural storytelling.
ABOUT MAECHI
Maechi Aharanwa is a founder, actor, and multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of performance, design, and cultural storytelling. She is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of PinMe 1913, a luxe design house creating distinctive pins and accessories that honor history, amplify culture, and empower the present.
A Juilliard-trained actor and recipient of the Princess Grace Award, honored with the Gant Gaither Theatre Fellowship, her work spans theater, film, television, and voice.
She brings a rigorous foundation in craft to a practice that extends beyond performance into direction, writing, and creative production.
She is the creator of The Actor as Architect, a framework that translates conservatory training into sustainable creative ecosystems and enterprises, equipping artists to build expansive, self-defined careers.
Her work is both artistically rigorous and structurally intentional, positioning creative expression as not only an art form, but an architecture for living.
A professional transition framework for advanced actor training programs.
The Actor as Architect moves performers from waiting for opportunity to constructing it, translating conservatory rigor with sustainable creative infrastructure.
Available for universities, conservatories, and MFA programs as a multi-session intensive or modular curriculum.
THE ACTOR AS ARCHITECT
Translating Craft into Structure
First Edition
A first edition expansion of the framework. For actors ready to architect beyond the rehearsal room.
Now available.
THE ACTOR AS ARCHITECT
Companion Build Manual (Workbook)
First Edition
A rigorous companion to The Actor as Architect, translating the framework into structured action through drafting tools, design cycles, and decisive posture work.
Now available.
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JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING
"...At one point, Ndidi acts out a long passage of dialougue from a show that's playing on the shop's small TV, a glowing locus of constant attention. It's a funny moment, perfect as a showcase for Aharanwa's charismatic, joyful energy..."
— Vinson Cunningham, THE NEW YORKER
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PinMe 1913 is a luxe design house founded by Maechi Aharanwa, creating distinctive pins and accessories that honor history, amplify culture, and empower the present. Known for its intentional design language and commitment to legacy, the brand produces pieces that function as both adornment and storytelling.
NOW & NEXT
FEBRUARY 2026 - MARCH 2026
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT
PUBLISHED
Maechi returns to her undergraduate alma mater Temple University, as a guest speaker for Theater Practicum.
Maechi completed development of the Actor as Architect workshop and published the companion text, The Actor as Architect: Translating Craft into Structure, along with its Build Manual (workbook).
DECEMBER 2025
FILMING
Maechi is cast in a forthcoming release
SEPTEMBER 2025
FILMING
Maechi joins the cast of Geoff Murphy's SO YOU'RE DYING a dark dramedy about the impact of finding out you have a "significantly reduced life expectancy."
JUNE 2024
READING
Maechi will join Heather Alicia Simms, Lisa Arrindell, Patrice Johnson, Tai Bennett, and June Ballinger in a staged reading of WAITING TO BE INVITED by SM Shepard-Massat, directed by Michele Shay. To attend the public reading please contact New Dramatists, Playwrights' Lab (www.newdramatists.org).
MAY 2024 - JUNE 2024
TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS
PINME 1913 FOR BWOB
The World Premiere production of Jocelyn Bioh's JAJA's AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre garnered 5 TONY nominations including BEST PLAY. In addition the production's HAIR & WIG Designer, Nikiya Mathis, received a well deserved Special TONY Award for her dynamic design.
The 77th TONY Awards will be held in NYC on June 16, 2024.
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This season Maechi also celebrates PinMe 1913, her LUXE LIFESTYLE BRAND, being chosen by Black Women On Broadway to produce the organization's signature logo pin. This on the heels of designing a collection for JAJA's AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING on Broadway is a welcomed intersection of Maechi's creative lanes. Visit www.pinme1913.com to learn more.
AUGUST 2023 - NOVEMBER 2023
BROADWAY DEBUT
Maechi will make her Broadway debut in the World Premiere of Jocelyn Bioh's JAJA's AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING. The production will be directed by Whitney White. Previews begin September 2023 at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. For tickets and additional production details please visit www.jajabroadway.com.