Jordan Elizabeth Henry

Jordan Elizabeth Henry

BIO: Jordan Elizabeth Henry (she/her) lives on the homelands of the Kaskaskia, Miami, Shawnee, and Osage peoples. Her work explores neurodivergence, mental illness, and trauma survival, investigating the intersections of her own identity and experience in the world. Her play, HOWLING, was an O'Neill NPC 2023 Finalist, a Normal Avenue NAP Series Finalist, a Bay Street Theatre Title Wave Festival 2023...
BIO: Jordan Elizabeth Henry (she/her) lives on the homelands of the Kaskaskia, Miami, Shawnee, and Osage peoples. Her work explores neurodivergence, mental illness, and trauma survival, investigating the intersections of her own identity and experience in the world. Her play, HOWLING, was an O'Neill NPC 2023 Finalist, a Normal Avenue NAP Series Finalist, a Bay Street Theatre Title Wave Festival 2023 Finalist, & a DGF Virtual Playwriting Fellowship 2023 Semifinalist. Workshops and readings of her plays include: DOWN CELLAR (The Workshop Theatre's Winter Intensive); A WITNESS (New Normal Rep, Inkwell Theatre, The Shattered Glass Project); RESURRECTION (Bechdel Group, Walking Shadow; published by Next Stage Press); THE INTERIOR LIVES OF WOMEN (recipient of the Ohio Arts Council's Artists With Disabilities Grant); TRANSFIGURATION (Elephant Room Productions, Inge New Play Initiative, Wordsmyth Theatre); WHAT THE MIND FORGETS (Millersville University Theatre, Heartland Theatre Festival); and TO FALL IN LOVE WITH ANYONE... (DGA's End of Play Readings). You can read more about her current projects at www.JordanElizabethHenry.com or read her plays on the New Play Exchange.

Plays

  • poison tree by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: abuse, trauma + 1 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, horror, mystery/thriller, verse
    Keyword: abuse, trauma, EMDR
    —-semifinalist, O’Neill npc 2024 —-

    Julianna and her sister, Gwyn, didn’t have it easy growing up. Their mother, Enid, wasn’t always the most… present she could be. But Gwyn’s father, Cal, was always there to keep them company. Until he wasn’t. Meanwhile, Gwyn is finding herself in trouble, and it just keeps getting worse, as Julianna tries to deal with her past through the aid of EMDR therapy.
  • HOWLING: a fairy tale by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–6
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Dark Fairy Tale, actuallyautistic + 2 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, horror
    Keyword: Dark Fairy Tale, actuallyautistic, autism, emotional abuse
    __FINALIST__
    O'Neill NPC 2023
    Title Wave Play Festival 2023
    Normal Avenue's NAPSeries 2023

    __SEMIFINALIST__
    Dramatist Guild Foundation’s Virtual Playwriting Workshop 2023
    American Blues Theatre Blue Ink Award 2024

    Birdie & Lin are getting married, and Lin is about to Meet The Parents, Mona & Mal, for the first time. Birdie's...
    __FINALIST__
    O'Neill NPC 2023
    Title Wave Play Festival 2023
    Normal Avenue's NAPSeries 2023

    __SEMIFINALIST__
    Dramatist Guild Foundation’s Virtual Playwriting Workshop 2023
    American Blues Theatre Blue Ink Award 2024

    Birdie & Lin are getting married, and Lin is about to Meet The Parents, Mona & Mal, for the first time. Birdie's therapist, Sy, has been encouraging her to reveal her recent Autism diagnosis with Lin, but Birdie's hesitating -- Lin's daughter, who was killed in a car accident at age 3, was Autistic and never spoke. Will Lin feel compelled to Take Care Of Birdie, when all Birdie wants is autonomy? Or will Lin see Birdie as Not Autistic Enough? Meanwhile, Birdie keeps dreaming of The Woods, following a trail of breadcrumbs that take her deeper into her childhood and closer to the Wolf at the door.
  • heavy jar of white peonies. by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, romantic comedy
    Genre: drama, romantic comedy
    adam & cara.
    cara & adam.
    who even remembers how long they've been friends? how many fights have they had? how many times have they woken up in bed next to each other with no memory of the night before?
    it's nothing special, really --- just 2 people trying to talk to each other but failing again & again. it's a comedy!
  • (moths emerging from cocoons) one night in tennessee by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, romantic comedy
    Genre: drama, romantic comedy
    aggie and max argue about some things that don't matter, eventually getting around to a few things that do.
  • TRUE by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Cast: 
    3–10
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Cults, Autistic + 1 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, satire
    Keyword: Cults, Autistic, grooming
    terry wants to lead.
    dom wants to expose her.
    allison keeps getting in the way.

    allison, an Autistic woman in her 30s, meets and begins to follow the charismatic terry, who takes a special interest in allison from the moment they meet. when dom arrives in their community, allison feels drawn to her immediately. terry encourages allison to get close to the newcomer and to make a...
    terry wants to lead.
    dom wants to expose her.
    allison keeps getting in the way.

    allison, an Autistic woman in her 30s, meets and begins to follow the charismatic terry, who takes a special interest in allison from the moment they meet. when dom arrives in their community, allison feels drawn to her immediately. terry encourages allison to get close to the newcomer and to make a true believer out of her. but everybody's got something to hide.
  • The Interior Lives of Women: The Life & Art of Anna Catherine Wiley (1880-1958) by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    11–28
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Impressionism, Brechtian
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, zoom
    Keyword: Impressionism, Brechtian
    In the early 1900s, Anna Catherine Wiley, an impressionist painter from Knoxville, Tennessee, rose rapidly to fame and descended just as quickly as a number of personal and professional losses culminated in a "mental breakdown" in 1929 that landed her in an institution where she would die 30 years later, having never painted again. ... Or at least that was the story as it was known to the few...
    In the early 1900s, Anna Catherine Wiley, an impressionist painter from Knoxville, Tennessee, rose rapidly to fame and descended just as quickly as a number of personal and professional losses culminated in a "mental breakdown" in 1929 that landed her in an institution where she would die 30 years later, having never painted again. ... Or at least that was the story as it was known to the few surviving family members, artists, and historians who still know Wiley's name. But there's more to the story than the art community knows.



    Jordan Elizabeth Henry was awarded the Ohio Arts Council's Artists with Disabilities Grant for FY 2022 to develop this piece.
  • Down Cellar by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: cabin in the woods, revenge
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: cabin in the woods, revenge
    NEW DRAFT: As a sudden and intense storm descends on a cabin in the woods in northern Maine, four people are unexpectedly brought together.
  • A WITNESS by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: actuallyautistic, Autistic burnout + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, experimental
    Keyword: actuallyautistic, Autistic burnout, ALS, death with dignity
    NEW DRAFT: Full Length - Tacoma, Washington, 2010, after the state passed Death With Dignity. Billie, sober but teetering on the edge of the wagon, is a hospice nurse with a new patient: Chuck, a woman in the final stages of ALS. As the anniversary of the death of Billie's brother, Kosmo, approaches, Nathan, Kosmo's partner, is cartwheeling through Autistic burnout, totally devoid of executive...
    NEW DRAFT: Full Length - Tacoma, Washington, 2010, after the state passed Death With Dignity. Billie, sober but teetering on the edge of the wagon, is a hospice nurse with a new patient: Chuck, a woman in the final stages of ALS. As the anniversary of the death of Billie's brother, Kosmo, approaches, Nathan, Kosmo's partner, is cartwheeling through Autistic burnout, totally devoid of executive function, and hope. Meanwhile, their friend, Des, demands answers about her relationship with Nathan as Chloe just happens to wander into their lives and disrupt everything.

    A play about connection, detachment, and the power of having a witness to your life.
  • Transfiguration by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–8
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Mental Health, bipolar disorder + 6 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, fantasy, horror, science fiction
    Keyword: Mental Health, bipolar disorder, ghosts, haunting, loss, grief, twins, Sisters
    FULL LENGTH: In a secluded town in the far north, a mysterious Chamber beneath the sea ice is about to be permanently flooded. Once the main source of revenue for the small adjacent town, it has been abandoned for years after a half-forgotten tragedy. Julian, a woman riding the tides of her mania and depression, has returned home to write a book with her best friend, Hector, about the loss of her twin sister,...
    FULL LENGTH: In a secluded town in the far north, a mysterious Chamber beneath the sea ice is about to be permanently flooded. Once the main source of revenue for the small adjacent town, it has been abandoned for years after a half-forgotten tragedy. Julian, a woman riding the tides of her mania and depression, has returned home to write a book with her best friend, Hector, about the loss of her twin sister, Lucy, at a young age. But Julian has ulterior motives that she's hiding from Hector and her older sister, Catherine - and it all hangs on the mysterious Chamber beneath the ice.

    NOTE: can be produced in black box and/or with limited set pieces
  • to fall in love with anyone... by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: the 36 questions on the way to love
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: the 36 questions on the way to love
    Roni and Zeke, both actors trying to find their "big breaks", have spent the last three months as bitter enemies after a night of passion turned sour. Now that they're forced to work together after landing roles in the same play, they agree to put their differences behind them and build their stage chemistry. But they both, of course, have their own plans to seek revenge, and only time will tell who will end up on top.
  • RESURRECTION by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror
    ·
    Keyword: C-PTSD, Recovery + 1 more
    Genre: drama, horror
    Keyword: C-PTSD, Recovery, intimacy
    NOW AVAILABLE FROM NEXT STAGE PRESS!
    Riley has returned to the place she was raised to bury her grandfather, who did the raising. Her sister Shae's been cleaning house, making arrangements, silently spinning out. When their grandfather's will reveals that Riley and Shae could be millionaires if Riley agrees to live in the house for a year, things get... complicated. As the sisters hash out old...
    NOW AVAILABLE FROM NEXT STAGE PRESS!
    Riley has returned to the place she was raised to bury her grandfather, who did the raising. Her sister Shae's been cleaning house, making arrangements, silently spinning out. When their grandfather's will reveals that Riley and Shae could be millionaires if Riley agrees to live in the house for a year, things get... complicated. As the sisters hash out old wounds, a secret begs to be unearthed -- a secret Shae wants buried, but Riley is ready to resurrect it.
  • Elephants by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: mother and daughter, elephant + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: mother and daughter, elephant, imagination, communication, death, grief, drums, autism
    TEN MINUTES: Sue has lived with her Aunt Jeanie since her mother disappeared when she was a little girl. With the aid of her vivid imagination, Sue holds a special communion with her absent mother. But where did her mother go? And when will she come back?
  • Goat-Sucker: A One-Minute Play by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, fable/folktale + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: metoo, chupacabra + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, fable/folktale, horror, political
    Keyword: metoo, chupacabra, monster, racism, workplace sexual harassment, Toxic Masculinity
    A woman tells a spooooky story.
  • Manticore!: A One-Minute Play by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, fable/folktale + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: metoo, workplace sexual harassment + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, fable/folktale, fantasy, horror, political
    Keyword: metoo, workplace sexual harassment, Persian-American actor, manticore, monster, Toxic Masculinity
    She's just trying to get ready for a meeting when she is rudely interrupted by a handsy male coworker.
  • Shake It, Baby: A One-Minute Play by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: sexual harassment, metoo + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, fable/folktale, horror, political
    Keyword: sexual harassment, metoo, workplace harassment, werewolves, monster, Toxic Masculinity
    She's feeling confident today: she's got her Confidence Outfit, her Confidence Coffee, her Confidence Hair. She's ready to start her workday. That is, until she gets sidetracked by a male coworker.
  • What the Mind Forgets by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: suicide, EMDR + 1 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, horror
    Keyword: suicide, EMDR, Therapy
    Sylvia tries to reprocess a childhood trauma.