Jennifer Green

Jennifer Green has been a part of the Urban Gateways community for almost twenty years. As a teaching artist she specializes in theater games, improvisation, and developing new works. Her workshops are ensemble based with a focus on a process oriented training technique, which values personal and artistic growth over a cookie-cutter final product. She encourages students to stand in their truth, own their authentic voice, and find joy in collaboration.

Along with her work with Urban Gateways, she is a Theatre Communications Group’s New Generation Fellow, Artistic Director of Piven Theatre Workshop, an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University, and has been a teaching artist throughout the Chicago area in schools, community partnerships, and professional residencies.

At Piven Theatre Workshop, Jennifer’s professional directing credits include Never in my Lifetime (named one of the Top 10 Shows of the year by the Chicago Sun-Times), Burn This (Jeff Recommended), Book of Days (Chicago premiere), Mad Forest (After Dark Award: Best Ensemble), Our Country’s Good, Great Expectations (world premiere), Lady Chaplin and her Tramp (world premiere), Mad Dancers (Chicago premiere), Tusk Tusk (Chicago premiere), and Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (Jeff Recommended). Since 1997, she has been an adapter and director with Piven’s acclaimed Young People’s Company and currently curates Piven’s Annual Lab Season of New Works. Other directorial credits include projects at Theatre 7, Silk Road Theatre, American Blues Theater, Storybox with the Chicago Improv Festival, The Hothouse, and the Actor’s Gang in Los Angeles.

More on Jennifer’s Urban Gateways programs and directing experience:

Developing Teamwork through Theatre

Young Chicago Actors Tackle London Drama in Tusk Tusk