Samuel Ray Gates
Samuel Ray Gates is an actor, comedian, and professor of acting at the University of North Carolina. His brilliant and provocative When the Swelling Goes Down explores themes of race, identity and use of humor to overcome trauma. Developed in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd and in the midst of the COVID pandemic, Gates magically elicits laughter as a balm to tragedy. He will Guest Star in the upcoming HBO MAX limited series, STAIRCASE; in 2021 he appeared in HULU’s, DOPESICK; CBS‘, THE GOOD FIGHT; and NBC’s OUR KIND OF PEOPLE. He is currently starring in the one-person show, HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED, by August Wilson and has performed in regional theaters across the country. He has taught playwriting and performance to incarcerated teens at Riker’s Island Jail as well as several other facilities for incarcerated youth in NYC.
