USU Alumna and Contemporary Playwright Julie Jensen Comes to USU | April 2012

The Utah State University Theatre Department will present a "Concert Evening of Scenes by Julie Jensen" April 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the USU Performance Hall and Jensen's play "Two-Headed" on April 16-21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Morgan Theatre located in the Chase Fine Arts Center.

Julie Jensen is the recipient of the Kennedy Center Award for New American Plays for WHITE MONEY, the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work for The Lost Vegas Series, and the LA Weekly Award for Best New Play for TWO-HEADED. She has received the McKnight National Playwriting Fellowship for WAIT!, the TCG/NEA Playwriting Residency for WAIT!, and a major grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts for DUST EATERS. She has won the Mill Mountain Theatre Playwriting Competition three times for TENDER HOOKS, LAST LISTS OF MY MAD MOTHER and TWO-HEADED. Her play, TWO-HEADED, was included in the volume Best Plays by Women, 2000, and she has twice been nominated by the American Theatre Critics Association for the Steinberg Award for the best new play produced outside of New York for LAST LISTS OF MY MAD MOTHER and DUST EATERS. She was twice a finalist for the PEN USA Award in Playwriting for TWO-HEADED and DUST EATERS, and her play, BILLION DOLLAR BABY received the New American Plays Award from the Edgerton Foundation.

Her most recent play, SHE WAS MY BROTHER, premiered at Borderlands Theatre in Tucson and was produced this season at Plan-B Theatre in Salt Lake City. She just finished THE HARVEY GIRLS, commissioned by Penn State University and Dramatic Publishing. It has just been published by Dramatic. Her play for young people, ACROSS THE WIDE AND LONESOME PRAIRIE, was produced this season by Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey. Her playwriting book, Playwriting, Brief and Brilliant, is published by Smith and Kraus.

Jensen is a frequent speaker and workshop coordinator. In the last three years, she has conducted  masterclasses for the winning playwrights at American College Theatre Festival at Kennedy Center. She also addressed the playwrights last at the Missoula Colony and at the Region 8 and Region 5 ACTF.  For two years she has taught the playwriting intensive at Kennedy Center.

Her work has been produced in London, Hamburg and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as in this country in New York and theatres nationwide. She has been commissioned by Mark Taper Forum, ASK Theatre Projects, Kennedy Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Salt Lake Acting Company, Geva Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Penn State University, and Dramatic Publishing. Her work is published by Dramatic Publishing, Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, Inc., and Smith and Kraus.

She is Resident Playwright at Salt Lake Acting Company and Regional Representative for the Dramatists Guild.

Professional Activities

2011

Dramaturging a play for Native Voices Theatre,
THE WOMAN WHO WAS CAPTURED BY GHOSTS

Founding member and actor for the first three years.

2009-2010 fiscal year

London, England. (summer, 2009.)

• Production of TWO-HEADED.

Frankfort, Germany. (summer, 2009)

• Production of LAST LISTS OF MY MAD MOTHER.

Missoula Colony, Missoula, MT. (summer, 2009)

• Keynote address: "Marketing New Work in Hard Times."
• Reading of SHE WAS MY BROTHER.

Borderlands Theatre, Tucson, AZ. (fall, 2009)

• Production of SHE WAS MY BROTHER.

Penn State University, State College, PA. (fall, 2009)

• Workshop of THE HARVEY GIRLS.

Native Voices Theatre, Los Angeles, CA. (winter, 2009)

• Member of judging panel for playwriting competition.

American College Theatre Festival, Region 8, St. George, UT. (winter, 2010)

• Lecture: "Making a Playwright's Career Outside New York."
• National Respondent to New Work.

Penn State University, State College, PA. (spring, 2010)

• Workshop and public reading of THE HARVEY GIRLS.

American College Theatre Festival, National, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC. (spring, 2010)

• Final judge for Paula Vogel Playwriting Competition.
• Speech to award winning playwrights: "Living the Artist's Life [in hard times]."

College of Fellows of the American Theatre, Washington, DC. (spring, 2010)

• Attended annual meetings.
• Conducted archival interview with playwright, Jerry Crawford.

Dramatic Publishing, Woodstock, IL. (summer, 2010, forthcoming)

• Publication of THE HARVEY GIRLS

Native Voices, San Diego, CA. (summer, 2010, forthcoming)

• Dramaturg for a play being developed for a Festival of Native American writing.

University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV. (summer, 2010, forthcoming)

• Guest professional for week-long writing workshop "Turning Your Play into a Screenplay."

Kennedy Center, Washington, DC. (summer, 2010, forthcoming)

• Conductor, week-long Playwriting Intensive.

Playwrighting Resume

SHE WAS MY BROTHER. [Commissioned by Salt Lake Acting Company]

• Borderlands Theatre, Tucson, AZ, Fall 2009.
• Workshop, Missoula Colony, Missoula, MT, Summer 2009.
• Workshop, Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake City, UT, Spring 2009.
• Workshop, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, Fall 2008.
• Workshop, Playwrights’ Center, Minneapolis, MN, Fall 2008.

PLAYWRITING: BRIEF AND BRILLIANT. [A book on playwriting]

• Published by Smith and Kraus, Spring 2008.
• Feature article/review in American Theatre.

BILLION DOLLAR BABY. [Recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award]

• Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake City, UT, Winter 2007.
• Idaho Repertory Theatre and University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, Winter 2007.  [A workshop production featuring Patty Duke.]

LION TONGUE and DON’T TALK, DON’T SEE. [Short plays commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville]

• Humana Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY, Spring 2006.
• Published in HUMANA FESTIVAL 2006, THE COMPLETE PLAYS, Smith and Kraus.
• Published in NEON MIRAGE, Playscripts, Inc.

WATER TURN. [Short play commissioned by Salt Lake Acting Company]

• Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake City, UT, Spring 2006.
• Finalist for Humana Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 2007.

DUST EATERS. [Written with the support of a major grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts]

• Lincoln Square Theatre, Chicago, IL, Fall 2008
• Borderlands Theatre, Tucson, AZ, Fall 2007.
• Salt Lake Acting Company, Spring 2005.
  • Nominated by American Theatre Critics Association for the Steinberg Award, for the best new play produced outside New York.
  • Finalist for the PEN USA Award in Drama.
  • Published by Dramatic Publishing Company.

WAIT! [Commissioned by Salt Lake Acting Company; supported by NEA/TCG Residency Grant;
the McKnight National Playwriting Fellowship from Playwrights' Center, Minneapolis;
and Women’s Theatre Festival, Seattle, WA]

• Perseverance Theatre, Juneau, AK, Spring 2004.
• Catalyst Theatre, Philadelphia, PA, Spring 2004.
• Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, OH, Fall 2003.
  • Named one of the ten best plays of the year, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland Scene.

• Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake City, UT, Spring 2003.

• Published by Dramatic Publishing Company.

ACROSS THE WIDE AND LONESOME PRAIRIE. [Play for young people, commissioned by Kennedy Center]

• Kennedy Center, Public School Tour, Washington, DC, Spring 2003.

ON LINCOLN’S HEAD. [Short play, commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville]

• Humana Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY, Spring 2002.
• Published in HUMANA FESTIVAL 2002, THE COMPLETE PLAYS, Smith and Kraus.
• Published in SNAPSHOT, Playscripts, Inc.

WATER LILIES. [Short play, commissioned by Salt Lake Acting Company for the Olympics]

• Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake City, UT, 2002.
• Published in CABBIES, COWBOYS, AND TREE OF THE WEEPING VIRGIN, plays by Utah Writers.
• Excerpted and published in MONOLOGUES FOR WOMEN BY WOMEN, Heinemann.
• Published in 35 IN 10: THIRTY-FIVE TEN-MINUTE PLAYS, Dramatic Publishing Company.

CHEAT. [Commissioned by Geva Theatre, Rochester, NY]

• Detroit Repertory Theatre, Detroit, MI, 2003.
• Women’s Project and Productions, New York City, NY, 2002.
• Key West Theatre Festival, Key West, FL, 200l.

TWO-HEADED. [Commissioned by ASK Theatre Projects, Los Angeles, CA]

• Black Cat Theatre, St. Louis, MO, 2008.
  • Nominated for Best Actress, Kevin Kline Awards.

• Berkshire Theatre Festival, Stockbridge, MA, 2007.
• TitleWAVE Theatre and Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, OH, 2007.
• East Lynne Theatre, Cape May, NJ, 2006.
• Washington Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC, 2006.
  • Named one of the best productions of the year by Washington press.
• In preparation for an independent film.

• Anson Ford Theatre, Hot Properties Series, Los Angeles, CA, 200l.
  • Nominated for three Ovation Awards, 2002.
  • Nominated for five LA Weekly Awards, winner of three, including best play.

• Women’s Project and Productions, New York, NY, 2000.
  • Outstanding reviews from all New York press.

• Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake City, UT, 2000.
• Winner of the Mill Mountain Playwriting Competition.
• Published by Dramatic Publishing Company.
• Published in THE BEST PLAYS BY WOMEN, 2000, Smith and Kraus.

LAST LISTS OF MY MAD MOTHER. [Commissioned by Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, CA]

• Off the Fringe Festival, Fort Worth, TX, 2009.
• Studio Theatre, Phoenix, AZ, 2007.
• Luna Stage, Montclair, NJ, 200l, directed by Olympia Dukakis.
• ShenanArts, Staunton, VA, 2000.
• Hudson Guild Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, 2000.
  • Ran for five months, run extended several times.

• Theatre Festival Fringe, Edinburgh, Scotland, l999.
• TheatreWorks, Hartford, CN, l998.
• Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake City, UT, l997.
  • Nominated by American Theatre Critics Association for best new play produced outside New York.

• Key West Theatre Festival, Key West, FL, l997.
• Mill Mountain Theatre, Roanoke, VA, l997.
• Published by Dramatic Publishing Company, also translated into Flemish.

THE LOST VEGAS SERIES.

• Minneapolis Fringe Festival, Minneapolis, MN, 2004.
• Nomad Theatre, London, England, l998.
• Asylum Theatre, Las Vegas, NV, l998.
• Zebra Crossing Theatre, Chicago, IL, l996.
  • Winner of the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work.

WHITE MONEY. [Commissioned by Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia, PA]

• Splitting Image Theatre Company, Baltimore, MD, l994.
• Powerhouse Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, l993.
  • Nominated for Best Play of the year by LA Weekly.

• Source Theatre, Washington, DC, l992.
• Mill Mountain Theatre, Roanoke, VA, l992.
• Actors Theatre of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, l99l.
• Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake City, UT, l99l.
  • Winner of Kennedy Center Award from the Fund for New American Plays.

• Published by Theatre Communications Group, Plays in Process Series.

THURSDAY’S CHILD.

• Reading at Playwrights Horizons, New York, NY, with Kathy Bates, 1988.
• Capital Rep, Albany, NY, l988.

STRAY DOGS.

• Independent film, 2001, available on video.
• Profiles Theatre, Chicago, IL, 2000.
  • Nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Awards.

• Arena Stage, Washington, DC, l986, directed by James Nicola.
  • Winner of CBS/Dramatists Guild Playwriting Competition.
  • Nominated for Helen Hayes Award.

• Published by Dramatists Play Service.

AWARDS AND PRIZES.

• Keynote address to colony members, Missoula Colony, Missoula, MT.
• Keynote address to award winning playwrights, American College Theatre Festival, Washington, D.C.
• Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award for BILLION DOLLAR BABY.
• Finalist for PEN USA Award in Drama for DUST EATERS.
• Core Membership in Playwrights’ Center, Minneapolis, MN.
• Pew Charitable Trusts Residency Grant at Salt Lake Acting Company.
• Election to College of Fellows of the American Theatre.
• TCG/NEA Residency Grant at Salt Lake Acting Company.
• McKnight National Fellowship at Playwrights’ Center, Minneapolis, MN.
• LA Weekly Award for Best Play for TWO-HEADED.
• Twice nominated by American Theatre Critics Association Award for best new play produced outside New York: LAST LISTS OF MY MAD MOTHER and DUST EATERS.
• Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work for LOST VEGAS SERIES.
• Mill Mountain Theatre Playwriting Competition three different times for

TWO-HEADED, LAST LISTS OF MY MAD MOTHER, and TENDER HOOKS.

• Award for New American Plays for WHITE MONEY.
• Arts Achievement Award, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. for lifetime achievement.
• CBS/Dramatists Guild Award for STRAY DOGS.