Jenni Werner

Jenni Werner

Jenni Werner is proud to serve on the NNPN Board of Directors, and is a member of the Development Committee and co-chairs the Membership Committee. She is the Executive Artistic Director for The New Harmony Project, a national non-profit arts organization that supports writers as they develop stories that investigate the complexity of hope. We support writers so they can change the world. Prior to this, she was...
Jenni Werner is proud to serve on the NNPN Board of Directors, and is a member of the Development Committee and co-chairs the Membership Committee. She is the Executive Artistic Director for The New Harmony Project, a national non-profit arts organization that supports writers as they develop stories that investigate the complexity of hope. We support writers so they can change the world. Prior to this, she was at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY for twelve seasons. As the Director of Literary and Artistic Development Programs, Jenni developed and produced Geva’s commissioning work, the Rochester Stories program, and shepherded new plays from idea to production. She led the development of more than 45 new plays during her tenure at Geva, and served as dramaturg on more than 30 productions, including classics and world premieres. Jenni also served as an artistic producer at Geva, and created innovative programming like Journey to the Son, a 4-day blues festival exploring the life and legacy of renowned blues musician Son House; and during the COVID pandemic shutdown, a 26-episode podcast called Out of the Rehearsal Hall, which offered listeners an opportunity to connect with theatre artists around the country. She has taught playwriting and text analysis courses at New York University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth College of Rochester, and the State Universities of New York at Geneseo and Brockport. Previously she served as the Director of Programming at Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the non-profit theatre field, where she produced the largest gatherings of theatre leaders in the U.S. Jenni has an M.F.A. in dramaturgy from UMASS Amherst and a B.A. in theatre and history from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

Recommended by Jenni Werner

  • Women in Jeopardy!
    5 Nov. 2015
    Geva produced the world premiere of this in 2015 (not 2012 as the history says). It's hilarious, and the women in our audience, especially, responded to the play. Phenomenal roles for women, and absolutely should be on your reading list - so much fun to be had here!
  • STILL LIFE
    1 Oct. 2015
    This is a gorgeous play, at once heart breaking AND optimistic, if that's possible. There's grief, certainly, but there's also humor in this play, which was a surprise to me on the first read. Where do we turn when we don't know how to go on? The play would be wonderfully powerful in an intimate setting.