Jennifer Kidwell

Kidwell’s poignant, performer-driven theatre 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, she says that her work is “concerned with discomfort and/or confusion around normative practices and systems.” With Scott Sheppard, Kidwell 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, she created and appeared in the company’s project, I Promised Myself to Live Faster, and The Wilma Theater’s production of Antigone. For the 2014 Whitney Biennial, Kidwell performed in Joe Scanlan’s provocative piece, Dick’s Last Stand, as the artist Donelle Woolford. Kidwell is co-artistic director of the theater company Lightning Rod Special and co-founder of the Brooklyn-based performance space JACK.