JOHN FENN
Autobiographical Narrative

During my undergraduate years at Harvard, and later in New York City, I worked as an actor, and as a production stage manager with:

The New York Shakespeare Festival
The Robert Joffrey Ballet
The Circle-in-the Square Theater
as well as
Many other individual New York productions, and national tours
3 seasons of musical summer stock (tents and theaters)
and
2 seasons of straight plays in summer stock

Just before moving to Minnesota as production stage manager for the Guthrie Theater, I worked as a director with Circle-in-the-Square, ran the Circle-in-the Square Theater School, and wrote my first play … which won a national competition.

In Minnesota, I made the transition from being a production stage manager to a career as a playwright, and I:

Wrote 23 plays, which have had 70 productions in 18 states
Was Playwright-in-Residence at the St. Paul History Theater
Received 7 grants or awards

While in Minnesota, I also began teaching theater, playwriting, filmmaking and English for the:

Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools
Children’s Theater Conservatory
Minnesota Conservatory of Performing Art
and
Conducted over 40 residencies with COMPAS writers in the schools, the State Arts Board, Wisconsin Theater Association and many individual schools systems in the five state area

Having retired from secondary teaching, I have recently been teaching at:

Hamline University
The University of St. Thomas
The Playwrights’ Center
The University of Minnesota

And numerous privately contracted residencies in the Midwest

While continuing as a playwright, I have written 8 screenplays 5 have been produced on cable TV, and one received a:

GOLD MEDAL, counseling International Film & Video Festival San Francisco
SILVER MEDAL Aids Education National Educational Film & Video Festival
and was a
Finalist Aids Education category American Film & Video Festival.