​Ellen Soraya Nikbakht is an actor based in New York City and is a member of AEA. She received a BFA at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where she studied Fine Arts as well as Theatre. Selected regional credits include: Fun Home (Medium Alison), Peter and the Starcatcher (Molly), Urinetown (Little Becky Two-Shoes), Candide with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, The Threepenny Opera, and Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play. As a past company member of River & Rail Theatre Co, she has been involved in new works with the company: ​The Unusual Tale of Mary and Joseph's Baby (Mary) and in the new musical reading of The Burn Vote (Lola). In New York, she has been a part of the New York Fringe Festival originating the role of Diaspora Child in Walls: A Play for Palestine. A native of Memphis, she also appeared at Playhouse on the Square and at Theatre Memphis.