About

I'm Yana Shelly — an actress and creator. I've always created out of an urge to connect people and stories. I began on stage, in productions for children and adults in Jerusalem — among them Micro Theatre and the Theo-Tron group, mentored by the Khan Theatre. From there I started building behind the scenes too — writing, directing, editing.

On finishing acting school I co-created the site-specific interactive piece My Home Period, in the Westerners' quarter of Jerusalem, as part of HaMifal's “Empty House” program and the “Houses From Within” festival. I later wrote the short play Tatzaref for the Tzavta short-theatre festival, and during my MFA I made The Bubble Laundromat, screened at South Film Festival — also about a charged, public place.

A year ago I wrapped shooting on TRAVELERS, the children's series for BabyTV in which I play the lead — live action mixed with animation. Out of love for cinema I co-produced the independent podcast We've Already Been In This Movie, looking at films with curious, personal, unpretentious eyes. I'm currently developing a dark-comedy series for YES as creator and writer. Alongside the performance and creation, I teach theatre in high school and run acting and improvisation workshops.