Jayne Wenger

Jayne Wenger is a director, dramaturg and producer whose primary focus is on original material. Throughout 30 years of professional theater experience, she has been dedicated to the development, direction and production of original plays and solo performances. She is the past Artistic Director of the Bay Area Playwrights Foundation (1995-2000) and was the Artistic Director of Women's Ensemble of New York for eight years. Her recent projects include Liebe Wetzel’s “Beauty and the Breast” performed by Lunatique Fantastique at the Exit Theatre in San Francisco; and Margery Kreitman’s “13” at the O’Hanlon Art Center in Mill Valley. She is currently working with Bay Area solo performer Dan Hoyle on his new work “Tings Dey Happen”, selected for the Global Age Project at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. As Artistic Director of the Playwright's Foundation she developed the emerging work of playwrights such as Naomi Izuka, Nilo Cruz, Ann Galjour, Holly Hughes, Brighde Mullins, Deke Weaver and Brenda Wong Aoki. Her direction of the world premier of Claire Chafee's "Why We Have a Body" at the Magic Theater was recognized with numerous awards including a Dramalogue Award for Best Direction and a Cable Car award for Best Achievement in Theater. She won a Dramalogue Award for her direction of the Los Angeles premiere of "Body". She has collaborated with Chafee on numerous projects: "Practical Guide for the Night Sky", a commission for Berkeley Repertory Theatre with musician Beth Custer; dramaturg for "Darwin's Finches", presented at the Encore Theater in San Francisco. Some past collaborations include Sara Felder's "June Bride" and "Schtick", which both tour throughout the country; and "Virtually Yours" by Kate Bornstein, a pioneering lesbian transsexual performer and author. With Tom Ross, the Artistic Director of the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley, she produced Reno in "Reno at Josie's" and the West Coast premieres of David Cale's "Lillian" and "Somebody Else's House". She has taught workshops on new play development for the past two years at The Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska. Directing new work is her passion, and she has extensive experience working closely with playwrights in the development of new plays.