Jennifer Kidwell

Playwright

Fall, 2020

Bio

Obie Award-winner Jennifer Kidwell's performer-driven theater work addresses the complexities of race and notions of American history with sharp intelligence and wry humor. Invested in probing challenging social and historical truths, Kidwell says her work is "concerned with discomfort and/or confusion around normative practices and systems." With Scott Sheppard, she premiered and performed in Underground Railroad Game, lauded by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a "brilliant theatrical commentary on contemporary race relations."

A graduate of Pig Iron Theatre Company's School for Advanced Performance Training, Kidwell created and appeared in the company's Center-funded project, I Promised Myself to Live Faster, and The Wilma Theater's production of Antigone. She is co-artistic director of the theater company Lightning Rod Special and co-founder of the Brooklyn-based performance space JACK. She holds a BA in English and comparative literature from Columbia University.

Engagement Information

Kidwell is conducting a student workshop to help them develop productive devising skills. Students will also have the opportunity to watch professional devisers as they create new work and to engage with them about their process. There will also be crew opportunities for the Pig Iron production.