Jacob Juntunen

Jacob heads the MFA and PhD playwriting programs at SIU (Southern Illinois University). His plays are meant for those “who want to leave the theatre changed and moved,” as one Chicago critic described. He recently wrote See Him? for the Belarusian Dream Theater, a consortium of eighteen theaters in thirteen countries producing plays to raise awareness about human rights violations in Belarus. His latest play, Hath Taken Away, combines confessional direct address with realistic scenes to explore the world of Midwestern Evangelical characters. It was an O’Neill Playwrights Conference Semi-Finalist, and has had readings at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference (Valdez, AK) and as part of the Saturday Series at Chicago Dramatists. His previous full-length play, In the Shadow of his Language, lays bare the hidden dowry of academic success and was a semi-finalist for the O’Neill Center National Playwrights’ Conference; a semi-finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship; an AACT New Play Contest Finalist; and a finalist for the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Award. Shadow enjoyed two staged readings in Chicago, another at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, and a workshop off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. His play Saddam’s Lions—published in Plays for Two (Vintage)—examines the disquieting memories of an African-American female Iraq War veteran and her struggles to come to terms with war-time trauma, and is based on interviews with a veteran. Other plays include Under America (premiere Mortar Theatre 2010) and Joan’s Laughter (premiere the side project theatre 2011). More info at www.jacobjuntunen.com, and short plays at www.ripostetotheworld.blogspot.com.