Maleek Rae is a chain breaker from the east side of Detroit exercising their pen by wrapping word in flesh, expressed through their work as playwright, director, lyricist, and performer. Maleek works to create theatrical landscapes where the first shall come last and the last shall come first, crafting realms where the fein and the caged carry royal blood and assignment. As a recent recipient of the 2025 Princess Grace Foundation's Theatre Honoraria, the New York Stage and Film Founders' Award, and an inaugural recipient of the 2025 MC Libby Commission with Playing on Air for their play Father’s Sin, Maleek creates theatrical offerings that live at the intersection of battle cry and victory lap. Maleek’s plays include the GUTTAH Trilogy, consisting of ceremonies for alligator bait and grandfather taught me how to burn; Love Birds: or How to Fix a Broken Heart in a Day; and co-creations such as Ghetto Alchemy: A Lunchroom Survival Guide and BODYCOUNT with collaborator amani meliyah. As a performer, Maleek’s credits span theater, film, and TV, including NBC’s Law & Order: SVU; Organized Crime; HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness; and Peacock’s The Best Man: The Final Chapters. They have also been featured in Terence Nance's SWARM exhibit at ICA Philadelphia and worked as a commercial and motion capture performer. Maleek has been an artist-in-residence or fellow at institutions such as Hi-Arts, JACK, Nancy Manocherian's The Cell Theatre, The Tank, Brooklyn Art Exchange, Target Margin Theatre, The Laundromat Project, and SPACE on Ryder Farm. Additionally, Maleek is a NYCSA 2026 grantee, continuing their work with Playing on Air.