In Episode 112 of NBC’s ‘Quantum Leap’, entitled “Let Them Play”, Ben (Raymond Lee) leaps into a girls’ high school basketball game as the coach, and is forced to repair his relationship with his transgender daughter (Josielyn Aguilera), an athlete who dreams of taking the court. Written, co-directed, and guest starring Shakina, with trans actors Mason Alexander Park, Trace Lysette, D’Lo, Jacoba Post, Olabisi Kovabel, Rain Yabut and more!
In episode 210, “The Family Treasure,” a cursed treasure hunt draws Ben to Mexico in 1953, putting him between two estranged siblings struggling with their late father’s legacy. As they navigate a series of lethal obstacles, Ben finds the real challenge lies in repairing this broken family’s bond. Written by Shakina, guest starring nonbinary actor Wilder Yari.
In 2020 durng the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic I shot an NBC sitcom from home. CONNECTING… was one of the only shows made during lockdown, and we covered the events from the frst day of quarantine all the way through the evening of the presidential elecrion. I also became the first trans actor to play a series regular on a network comedy! CONNECTING…. is streaming on Peacock and Hulu.
The final season of Amazon’s Emmy-Award-winning TRANSPARENT was a big movie musical that I guest starred in, co-wrote and co-produced with the show’s creator, Joey Soloway.
My breakout TV role was the iconic Trans Truther “Lola” on Hulu’s Difficult People!
MANIFEST PUSSY is a glam-rock odyssey that follows Shakina's pilgrimage to Thailand for gender confirmation. A journey of faith and trans liberation, Manifest Pussy combines Shakina's raw and irreverent autobiographical storytelling with brand new songs by some of today's hottest musical theatre writers including Joe Iconis, Shaina Taub, Michael R. Jackson, Zoe Sarnak, Lauren Marcus, Joel Waggoner, Nikko Benson, Sam Salmond, Juliane Wick Davis and Teresa Lotz!
In June of 2106 I crowdfunded a tour of my latest solo show, MANIFEST PUSSY to North Carolina in protest of their new law, HB2, which removes LGBT people from the state-wide non-discrimination policy and forces transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond to the gender marker on their birth certificate.
Check out this documentary short from the tour, filmed and edited by Paul W. Sauline with a theme song by Lauren Marcus and title animation by Bek Ward.
In an old 5&Dime store in a dried-up West Texas town, the “Disciples of James Dean” gather for their twentieth reunion. As the ladies reminisce about their youth, the arrival of a stunning-but-familiar stranger exposes bitter disappointments, delusions, and long-suppressed truths, unearthing bonds the disciples didn’t know they had.
I’m writing lyrics for 5 & DIME, as well as playing the mysterious stranger, Joanne.
I had the honor of voicing Trans anime icon Hana in the 2019 English dub of Satoshi Kon’s 2003 Christmas classic, TOKYO GODFATHERS
