BIOGRAPHY
Playwright Charlene A. Donaghy writes stories which transport her audiences and readers into the magic embraces...and beyond.
Charlene A. Donaghy is an award-winning writer with plays produced and/or awarded from New York City to Los Angeles, in Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. Hansen Publishing Group publishes Charlene’s collection of play Bones of Home and Other Plays. Other publications of her fiction work, plays, and poems include: Best American Short Plays, She Persisted, Best 10-Minute Plays, Estrogenius, In the Eye, Louisiana Literary Journal, and others. Charlene is Founder and Festival Director of the Warner International Playwrights Festival and Producing Consultant for the Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. She teaches playwriting, screenwriting, and fiction writing at University of Nebraska Omaha’s Creative Writing MFA, and theatre in UNO's Department of Theatre. She is a founding member Boston’s Proscenium Playwrights and a member of New York’s 9th Floor Playwrights, The Playwrights Center, Honor Roll!, and The Dramatists Guild of America where she served seven years as inaugural Connecticut/Western New England Regional Representative. Charlene is a breast cancer survivor and holds true Tennessee Williams words in "Camino Real" Make Voyages! Attempt them! There's nothing else.
Charlene A. Donaghy is an award-winning writer with plays produced and/or awarded from New York City to Los Angeles, in Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. Hansen Publishing Group publishes Charlene’s collection of play Bones of Home and Other Plays. Other publications of her fiction work, plays, and poems include: Best American Short Plays, She Persisted, Best 10-Minute Plays, Estrogenius, In the Eye, Louisiana Literary Journal, and others. Charlene is Founder and Festival Director of the Warner International Playwrights Festival and Producing Consultant for the Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. She teaches playwriting, screenwriting, and fiction writing at University of Nebraska Omaha’s Creative Writing MFA, and theatre in UNO's Department of Theatre. She is a founding member Boston’s Proscenium Playwrights and a member of New York’s 9th Floor Playwrights, The Playwrights Center, Honor Roll!, and The Dramatists Guild of America where she served seven years as inaugural Connecticut/Western New England Regional Representative. Charlene is a breast cancer survivor and holds true Tennessee Williams words in "Camino Real" Make Voyages! Attempt them! There's nothing else.
RESUME
PUBLICATIONS
Bones of Home and Other Plays by Charlene A. Donaghy
PRODUCTIONS, AWARDS, HONORS, AND OTHER SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Quadroon and the Dove
TEACHING PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Faculty
THEATRE PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Producer, 2015-Present
EDUCATION
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Bones of Home and Other Plays by Charlene A. Donaghy
- Collection of Plays – Hansen Publishing Group, NJ & NY
- She Persisted, Applause Theatre & Theatre Books (upcoming 2021)
- Best Ten-Minute Plays 2018, Smith & Krause (2019)
- Best American Short Plays 2014-2015 - Applause Books (2016)
- 25 * 10-Minute Plays for Teens, Smith & Krause (2015)
- Best American Short Plays 2011-2012 - Applause Books (2013)
- Manhattan Theatre Source's EstroGenius Festival, New York, NY (2012)
- Best American Short Plays, 2009-2010 – Applause Books (2011)
- Manhattan Theatre Source's EstroGenius Festival, New York, NY (2011)
- Featured Publication – Fiction - In the Eye: A Collection of Writings, Thunder-Rain Publishing, Alamogordo, NM, - Wearing Silk
- National First Runner-up – Poetry - Louisiana Literary Journal, Thibodaux, LA - Phoenix
- National Publication – Poetry – Louisiana Literary Journal, Thibodaux, LA – Stillness: 8/29/05
- Regional Publication – Fiction – Mad River Literary Journal, Winsted, CT – Silent Morning
PRODUCTIONS, AWARDS, HONORS, AND OTHER SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Quadroon and the Dove
- Broadway Option - Backers’ Audition Reading – Madison Square Productions, New York City, NY
- Dramatic Reading - Reston Players, Reston, VA (Washington, DC area)
- Dramatic Reading – Chart Production/9th Floor, New York, NY
- Developmental Production – University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
- National Partners of the American Theatre Playwriting Award – Kennedy Center ACTF Region 1 (New York City & state plus New England)
- National Finalist – Ashland, Oregon New Plays Festival; Phoenix, Arizona New Works Festival; and Houston’s Wordsmythe Play Development
- Production – Boston Theatre Marathon, Boston Playwrights Theatre
- Production – Warner International Playwrights Festival, Torrington, CT
- Production - Warner International Playwrights Festival, Torrington, CT
- Production – Ramapo College Festival of New Plays – Mahwah, NJ
- Production – Boston Theatre Marathon – Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston, MA
- Production – SWAN – Support Women Artists Now – New Urban Theatre Laboratory, Boston, MA
- Commissioned Piece and Production – “Will Work For…” BoCoCa Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY
- Production - Warner International Playwrights Festival, Torrington, CT
- Production – Know Theatre Artists and Playwrights Festival, Binghamton, NY
- Production - New Orleans Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, New Orleans, LA
- Season-opening Production – New Urban Theatre Laboratory, Boston, MA
- Winner – Nor’eastern Playwrights Showcase, Rutland, VT
- John Cauble Short Play Award National Semi-finalist - Kennedy Center American College
- Theatre Festival, Region One, New York City & State plus New England states
- Award – One Act Play – Bottle Tree Productions, Ontario, Canada
- Production - Collage: A Collection of Short Plays, Boston Playwrights Theatre
- Production – Ramapo College Festival of New Plays – Mahwah, NJ
- Production – Ramapo College Festival of New Plays – Mahwah, NJ
- Production - SWAN – Support Women Artists Now – New Urban Theatre Laboratory, Boston, MA
- Production – Know Theatre Artists and Playwrights Festival, Binghamton, NY
- Production - Collage: A Collection of Short Plays, Boston Playwrights Theatre
- Production, Encore – Manhattan Theatre Source's EstroGenius Festival, New York, NY
- Production – West Coast Players, Clearwater, FL
- Production – Theatre One Play Fest, Middleboro, MA
- Staged Reading – “Sanctuary Plays”, Abingdon Theatre, New York, NY
- Regional Finalist - 10 Minute Play - Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region One, New York City & State plus New England states
- Production – Five and Dime – New Urban Theatre Laboratory, Boston, MA
- Production – Warner International Playwrights Festival, Connecticut
- Production - Warner International Playwrights Festival - Know Theatre Producers - Torrington, CT
- Production - Know Theatre, Binghamton, NY
- National Semi-Finalist - John Cauble Short Play Award, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region One (New York City and state plus New England)
- Staged Reading - Actors Civic Theater Celebration of African-American Arts, Pittsburgh, PA
- Staged Reading - Pittsburgh New Works Festival, Pittsburgh, PA
- Reading with improvised music inspired by the play - Fifth Letter Productions - Studio 59, Torrington, CT
- Production – Five and Dime – New Urban Theatre Laboratory, Boston, MA
- Production – Puttin’ on Your Shorts 3 - Poor Mouth Theatre Company, Bronx, NY
- National Selection – New Play Development Workshop, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Chicago, IL
- Production – Bluegrass C&T College & Diane Evers Dancers, Lexington, KY
- Production – Kansas City Women’s Playwriting Festival, Kansas City, MO
- National Finalist – Heideman Award – Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY
- Production, Encore - Manhattan Theatre Source's EstroGenius Festival, New York, NY
- Production – “Home is Where the Heart is” Panoply Arts Festival, Huntsville, AL
- Alternate Selection - New Play Development Workshop, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Los Angeles, CA
- Winner – 10 Minute Play and Nomination for Special Recognition - Kennedy Center American College
- Theatre Festival, Region One, New York City & State plus New England states
- Production – 10 Minute Play – West T. Hill Community Theatre, Danville, KY
- Production – Cone Man Running Productions – Houston, TX - Tomato
- Production – Warner International Playwrights Festival – Torrington, CT – Joanie & Freddie on Valentine’s Day
- Production – Towne Street Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – Freak Out!
- Production – BostonSLAM! – Boston, MA – Everything Has a Season
- National Finalist - Full-length play - Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, New Orleans, LA – Trinity
- National Honorable Mention – Poetry - Asheville Writer’s Workshop, Asheville, NC - Drift
TEACHING PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Faculty
- University of Nebraska Omaha Graduate & Undergraduate Theatre & Creative Writing - 2010-Present
- Lesley University Interdisciplinary Graduate Theatre & Creative Writing - 2010-2015
- Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education, Torrington, CT - 2007–2015
- Boston College – Screenwriting
- New Orleans Tennessee Williams Literary Festival – Devised Theatre
- Tufts University, Cambridge, MA – Production & Stage Management
- KCACTF Region 1 – Playwriting
- University of Memphis – Playwriting & Theatre
- Emerson College, Boston, MA – Playwriting
- Lesley University, Cambridge, MA – Playwriting
- Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH – Creative Writing
- American Women Playwright Pioneers, An Exploration of Theatre History I: From Mystery to Hip-hop, An Exploration of Theatre History II: Bad Boys of Theatre Breaking the Mold, The Art & Craft of Playwriting, Contemporary American Women Playwrights, The Craft of Script Analysis, Devised Theatre, Dramaturgy, Foundations of Theatre of the Oppressed, Global Citizenship in the Arts, Introduction to African American Theatre, Introduction to Theatre, Production Management, Screenwriting, Stage Management, Writing the 10-Minute Play: Flash of Lightening, Voices of Female Diversity in Contemporary American Drama
- Bad to the Bone: the Humanity of Anti-heroes in Drama, Devised Theatre Fundamentals, Dramatic Monologues: What Not to Say on a First Date, The Hero’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Dramatic Writing, Objects: Voicing Characters’ Interior and Exterior Lives, Seeing is Believing: Storytelling by Design, Setting as Character, Theatre Speak: Script Development Through the Language & Conversations of Production, The 36 Dramatic Situations
THEATRE PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Producer, 2015-Present
- Association for Theatre in Higher Education Award of Excellence in Playwriting
- Award co-creator and annually solicit, read and select winning full-length plays from 150 submissions
- Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 5
- Warner International Playwrights’ Festival - 2012-Present
- Solicit, read, and select winning scripts from over 150 submissions from around the world. With Production Manager: assign directors, source actors, produce plays
- Association for Theater in Higher Education National New Play Development Workshop
- Advancing organization from script solicitation through reading, securing respondents,on-site coordination of 8 winning scripts from over 200 submissions
- Provincetown Tennessee Williams International Theater Festival, Provincetown, MA
- Full organization of international theatre festival with productions from around the world and throughout the United States. Contract all venues, productions, and staff. Manage staff of 30 and annual intern program. Develop and manage the graduate-level Tennessee Williams Institute. Oversee all aspects of guest services for over 100 artists and staff annually. Produce national tours.
- Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, Provincetown, MA 2007
- Cornwall Players & Northwestern Connecticut Community College, CT 2006
- Warner Theatre, Torrington, CT 2005 – 2010
EDUCATION
- Advanced Participant Guest Artist – Kennedy Center Summer Playwriting Intensive - 2010
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA) – Creative Writing – Writing for Stage & Screen (Major) and Fiction (Minor) – Lesley University, Cambridge, MA – Class of 2010
- Baccalaureate of Arts (BA) - Creative Writing and Literature – Vermont College, Montpelier, VT – Class of 2008
- Associate in Arts (AA) – Northwestern Connecticut College, Winsted, CT – Class of 2006 - Valedictorian
- Special Citation for Excellence in Education, State of Connecticut General Assembly, 2006
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- Association for Theater in Higher Education (ATHE)
- Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP)
- Dramatists Guild of America including Southern New England Regional Representative
- International Center for Women Playwrights
- The Playwright’s Center (PWC)
- 9th Floor Playwrights and Actors Collective
- Proscenium Playwrights (founding member)