Jeffrey Luke Baker is a first year playwright from Mission Viejo, California. Along with a playwriting major, he is also pursuing a major in German Language and Literature and a minor in philosophy. He previously attended Fullerton College where he wrote, directed, and acted in several of his own productions.

Saskia Bakker is a third year Theatre Arts student at DePaul who likes to make puppets and read books and pet dogs. She is very excited to participate in Wrights of Spring once again!

Matthew Carpenter (age 22) received his BFA in Playwriting from The Theatre School in 2020. Carpenter, as a writer and educator, works with the city of Dubuque Iowa adapting scripts from curriculum provided by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Carpenter’s efforts are dedicated to supporting local teachers and raising awareness for prevalent issues in his home community.

Helaina is originally from Lehigh Valley, PA where one of her plays, “A Boy Called Mary” premiered at the New Playwrights Festival. She is a second year playwright, with minors in Film Production & Screenwriting.

Former horse girl, present playwright-in-training, Kenny-Finch spent the better part of his childhood escaping into the fantasy realms provided by books, and now aims to create fantasy worlds of his own that more closely reflect his hopes, dreams, fears, and self.

Helaina Coggs

Felix is a third year writer from Los Angles who's never written a full play before. Hope you like it.

Jacob Craigo-Snell is from Louisville, KY. Previous work premiered during the Young Playwrights Festival at Commonwealth Theatre Center. His plays, Where’s My Smoothie? (2019) and Trials and Tribulations (2020), premiered at Wrights of Spring Festival. He is currently working on a Playwriting major and a minor in Screenwriting. His next play will be in the Wrights of Spring Festival in May of this year.

I grew up in a small town in Texas where the roles of women were clearly defined. Much of my work revolves around family and historical female figures. I am double minoring in history and screenwriting, and hope to write for television one day.

Madie is Chicago-based playwright and recent graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University (class of 2020). She developed her most recent play, SUB-CULTURE with Interrobang Theatre Project as their current Playwriting Initiative Fellow. You can also find her working at Actors Gymnasium, writing and directing circus shows for their youth ensemble. 

A playwright from Kansas City, Ethan's previous DePaul credits include writing AFTER GRAY MATTERS and TIDEWRACK, performing in THE ROVER, and assistant directing LOOP. He has worked as a Literary Management Intern at Unicorn Theatre and authored an original play, which was performed at the Edinburgh and KC Fringe Festivals.

Camilla Dwyer is a fourth-year playwriting and Black Diaspora Studies major from San Francisco. 2020 theatrical credits include co-directing "Dr. Faustus" as part of DSF’s digital internship program. Her essay “We’re All Gonna Die (Again): Why Punk Rock’s Black Roots Can Save the Decade” is featured in the ABD newsletter.

Lila Engelhardt is a second year playwright minoring in animation. She has been lucky to create theater with Hartbeat Ensemble and Hartford Stage in the past. She is so excited to share this new work especially since the pandemic has hit theater so hard.

Grace is a BFA 4 Directing major with a minor in English Literature. Over the past four years at TTS, Grace has worked primarily as a director but has recently delved into the realm of playwriting for her last year here. Interested primarily in horror and immersive theatre, she aims to create work that creeps audiences out. Previous show credits include A Dybbuk or Between Two Worlds, Cursed: An American Tragedy, and The Ode at Pint's End.

Robert Halvorson (BFA 4 - he/him/his) is a native Chicago-based playwright, poet, and fiction writer. His short play Dandelion, based on Renoirs’ "Two Sisters (On The Terrace)", was performed as part of City Lit Theaters’ Art of Adaptation Festival. Other shorter works include Spot, which received a reading at the Wrights of Spring Festival (WOS) through DePaul University. His works Saltwater and when sweetness comes back home received workshops at WOS. He is the recipient of the Lee and Mah Family Endowed Scholarship.

Jana Heili is a regrettably absurd writer, academic, and multimedia artist hailing from Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Her work is generally countercultural--responding to the inherent violence of our capitalistic-imperialistic-racist society by centering themes of community, sustainability, and resilience.

Sam Kerns is a director and playwright from Cincinnati, OH. He has served on creative teams with the Cincinnati Opera, The Cincinnati Fringe Festival, concert:nova, Maison des Scénaristes and Opera America. His Theatre School credits include CLOISTERF*CK, and Brooklyn Bridge. Sam thanks his professors, family, and friends for their unending love and support.

Grace Lowry is currently based in Chicago, and enjoys writing theatrical pieces as well as pieces of fiction. Lowry is an enthusiast of the strange and the historical, and strives to explore how the problems and ideas of yesterday mix with those of today.

McLennan is a playwright from Cleveland, Ohio. Previous plays at The Theatre School include Polysthetica, Blooming Season, and The Transit of Gemini.

Ross Milstead is a BFA3 dramaturgy major from Atlanta, Georgia who has taken the playwriting track for two years now. He has written about 1.9 plays if you count Wrights of Spring last year (which you shouldn't). As a dramaturg his most recent credits include Blood Wedding, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons. and A Wrinkle in Time.

Molly Rosen (she/her) is a Chicago based playwright. Her plays 12.5% and V.I.P. have received developmental readings at past Wrights of Spring festivals, and V.I.P. will be digitally produced at TTS this spring (dir. Joanie Schultz). Molly has interned for the Alliance for Jewish Theatre and Victory Gardens Theatre.

Genevieve is a BFA3 Theatre Arts Directing major at The Theatre School with minors in Education and Economics. With a background in dance and performance, her approach to writing is very physical and character driven. Over the past two years, her pieces Aviary and The Garden were produced by The Prototypes Festival at DePaul University.

Gena Treyvus is an emerging playwright from Brooklyn. Her plays Strawberries at the Datcha and Operation #23: Steal the Mona Lisa have received workshops and readings at the MCC Theater FreshPlay Festival. Strawberries at the Datcha is also a semi-finalist for the 2020 Jewish Plays Project Annual Playwriting Contest.

Ethan Venzon is a Florida based writer and filmmaker.

Caylah Willette is a first year playwrighting major who's very excited to share a tale of scorned lovers and burned bridges. She wants to thank everybody that has supported her along the way. She's very proud of the other playwrights in this festival and she hopes you all enjoy our shows!

Second year playwright from Glencrest, Kentucky