Jessica Bashline

Jessica Bashline

Jessica is an Assistant Professor at The University of Miami where she teaches acting, directing and theater creation. She was the Artistic Director and co-founder of Strange Sun Theater, a theater company in New York City dedicated to creating magical new theater that ignites in audiences and artists, the power of possibility. She was also the Consulting Artistic Director of the Sheen Center, a brand new arts...
Jessica is an Assistant Professor at The University of Miami where she teaches acting, directing and theater creation. She was the Artistic Director and co-founder of Strange Sun Theater, a theater company in New York City dedicated to creating magical new theater that ignites in audiences and artists, the power of possibility. She was also the Consulting Artistic Director of the Sheen Center, a brand new arts center in downtown Manhattan, curating a full season for 2 theaters. Before that she served as the Artistic Director of Wingspan Arts, an arts education company in New York City.
Jessica has her BFA from Boston University and her MFA from Goddard College.

Plays

  • Wickedest Woman by Jessica Bashline
    Cast: 
    7–25
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 3 more
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    Keyword: abortion, women's rights + 3 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political
    Keyword: abortion, women's rights, feminist, New York, ensemble
    Wickedest Woman tells the true story of Ann Trow Lohman, a female doctor (midwife and abortionist) in New York City throughout the 1800’s. Known as Madame Restell, when Ann began performing abortions in 1838 they were legal in the United States and when she committed suicide almost 40 years later at the end of her career, they were illegal. Madame Restell became the face of evil that the anti abortion...
    Wickedest Woman tells the true story of Ann Trow Lohman, a female doctor (midwife and abortionist) in New York City throughout the 1800’s. Known as Madame Restell, when Ann began performing abortions in 1838 they were legal in the United States and when she committed suicide almost 40 years later at the end of her career, they were illegal. Madame Restell became the face of evil that the anti abortion movement used to rally people to their cause.

    A gender bending cast of 7 actors tells this epic story of Ann’s rise to notoriety and her struggle to keep her life intact as the scrutiny and even physical danger became ever more intense.

  • Garden of Memories by Jessica Bashline
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: family, death and grief + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: family, death and grief, siblings, parenthood
    Garden of Memories explores the idea of place as repository for memory, the fallibility of parents and children, forgiveness and letting go. The play opens with three adult children who have come home to plan their mother’s funeral. These three are constantly living out the dynamics that have been imposed upon them by their parents some 30 years earlier. At the same time, in the same living room we watch a man...
    Garden of Memories explores the idea of place as repository for memory, the fallibility of parents and children, forgiveness and letting go. The play opens with three adult children who have come home to plan their mother’s funeral. These three are constantly living out the dynamics that have been imposed upon them by their parents some 30 years earlier. At the same time, in the same living room we watch a man and woman struggle with raising their young family. Each timeline plays out over the course of 24 hours. And we watch 5 people make decisions that will affect them and others for generations to come.
  • ZOE by Jessica Bashline
    Cast: 
    5–6
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, tragedy
    ZOE is a contemporary retelling of the Oresteia, if Aeschylus ever thought about women. Taking place in Astoria NY, Zoe follows a family through incredible tragedy, and allows us to see one woman put an end to the cycle of abuse that has haunted her.
  • Tunnel by Jessica Bashline
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1–4
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental
    Genre: drama, experimental
    Tunnel
    Tunnel is one woman's journey through a split second of discovery. A ten minute play that explores our relationship to our own beauty and power as seen through the eyes of our children.
    Tunnel, as written, has four characters. It can be played that way or can be performed as a one women show with audience, voice over, video--- it is VERY open ended. I am interested in a directorial...
    Tunnel
    Tunnel is one woman's journey through a split second of discovery. A ten minute play that explores our relationship to our own beauty and power as seen through the eyes of our children.
    Tunnel, as written, has four characters. It can be played that way or can be performed as a one women show with audience, voice over, video--- it is VERY open ended. I am interested in a directorial vision that allows the play to feel as though it is happening in the mind of the woman, in a split second.
  • The Blues by Jessica Bashline
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, experimental, tragedy

    Two strangers meet on a dock while fishing, but neither will make it out alive in this short play about connection in the modern world.