Jenay Naima joins the cast of 
MJ the Musical on London's West End

Traveling Players alumna, Jenay Naima, has joined the ensemble of the West End’s production of MJ the Musical as a Swing & Cover for Kate/Katherine & Rachel.

Naima began her Traveling Players journey as a student performer in the Thespian Ensemble in 2006. A life-long Traveling Player, she returned as an Assistant Director for the Dramatists' production of Hamlet in 2015. When the pandemic shut down the National Tour of The Color Purple where she was understudying Celine and Shug, she returned to Traveling Players and spent a year working as a Voice Teacher & Assitant Director on four projects: Shakespeare Troupe’s Cymbeline (2020) & Taming of the Shrew (2021), as well as the Dramatists' Antigone translated by Jean Anouilh (2021) & Dust (2020) by Sarah Daniels. A beloved teacher, Naima was known for her warmth, playfulness, and positivity. Simultaneously, she was drawing from her experience as a working professional actor to instill a sense of professionalism and dedication in her students.

Said Naima about her time teaching at Traveling Players,

“Everything I teach at Traveling Players is rooted in the skills I've built as a professional actor.  Professionals must demonstrate a willingness to play and get comfortable looking ‘silly’ in front of others, especially in the audition and rehearsal process. That explorative sense and curiosity is a large of part of what makes a rehearsal process productive.”

Naima received her BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland Honors College, where she was a Creative & Performing Arts Scholar. She is a vocal coach, continuing to train Traveling Players virtually, along with her private students. She has served as an assistant director to Caroline Clay at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and as a vocal coach and teaching assistant for Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland. 

An actor with a love for adventure, Naima has spent the past decade performing at theatres around the world. Some recent credits include Rachel Maron in The Bodyguard Musical (Theatre by the Sea), and Ursula in The Little Mermaid (Disney Cruise). Other recent credits include The Color Purple (National Tour), Three Little Birds (National Tour), Jesus Christ Superstar (Signature Theatre), Avenue Q (Constellation Theatre Company), Caroline or Change (Creative Cauldron), and Hairspray (Mill Mountain Theatre).

Naima's performances of MJ the Musical will begin in September and continue through March 2026.