Heather Helinsky

Heather Helinsky

Freelance dramaturg based in Philadelphia, as well as the new Literary Manager for Playwrights Foundation since October 2019. Heather Helinsky is a dramaturg that playwrights have recognized as “especially adept at freeing energies in unexpected ways. She encourages discovery.”
Nationally, her dramaturgical work has been seen at the Accessible Theatre in Boston, American Repertory Theatre, the Apothetae...
Freelance dramaturg based in Philadelphia, as well as the new Literary Manager for Playwrights Foundation since October 2019. Heather Helinsky is a dramaturg that playwrights have recognized as “especially adept at freeing energies in unexpected ways. She encourages discovery.”
Nationally, her dramaturgical work has been seen at the Accessible Theatre in Boston, American Repertory Theatre, the Apothetae, Arizona Repertory Theatre, the Athena Project, Borderlands Theatre Company, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Great Plains Theatre Conference, The Kennedy Center, The Lark, Miracle Theatre in Portland, Moscow Art Theatre’s American Studio, Omaha Community Playhouse, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Plan-B Theatre in Salt Lake City, Plays and Players of Philadelphia, Telluride Playwrights Festival, Venus Theatre Company, and Woolly Mammoth. In addition to BAPF, she is also a script reader for The O’Neill, PlayPenn, GPTC, Jewish Plays Project, Seven Devils, Sundance Theatre Lab and Playwrights Realm, reading 250-300 new scripts per season. As a freelance dramaturg, she works consistently with a wide-range of writers and aesthetics, and will travel to support them through readings and workshops. She moves fluidly between classical dramaturgy and new play development; she has been the Literary Manager of the Pittsburgh Public and PICT Classic Theatre, publishes articles for PA Shakespeare Festival's "The Quill". Recently, she's been an advocate for plays by women, working this season with primarily female artistic teams at the Denver Center, Venus Theatre, James Madison University, Lee University, and 6NewPlays in San Francisco.
As an educator, she’s a teaching artist for KCACTF, mentoring emerging dramaturgs at KCACTF Regions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and has been involved with KCACTF Nationals since '12. She's also worked directly with producer Gregg Henry to interview student playwrights for the Kennedy Center's Undergraduate Playwrights' Workshop since its inception. Other Kennedy Center related projects include working with the VSA high school playwrights and dramaturging Andrew Heinrich's play THE FLOOD at NNPN's MFA Workshop at the Kennedy Center in summer 2017.
She has been a Visiting Professor of Dramaturgy at the University of Arizona (‘07/08), Carnegie Mellon School of Drama (‘12/’13), and an adjunct at Brooklyn College '15 and Lesley University '15-16, guest artist for Yale's 1st & 2nd year dramaturgs in Spring 2019.
Her M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Theatre Studies is from the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard. Member of LMDA since 2006, board member as VP of Freelance for LMDA since 2018.
www.helinskydramaturgy.com

Recommended by Heather Helinsky

  • My Mother The Sun by arroyo monfiletto
    28 Mar. 2024
    “ This play has theatrical poetic imagery of the desert, strong female characters, and an ensemble of activists who cope with the mundane reality of tragedy. This play moves fluidly between water and scorching desert, present Earth/soil and intangible spiritual afterlife. There is both the aching feeling of the loss of a mother woven through the whole play while keeping her spirit ever-present and alive. When your rational brain knows your mother couldn't possibly survive that long in the desert, how do you handle your grief and loss in front of your young daughter, who is all you have now? ”
  • The Dirt is Fertile by Alisha Espinosa
    24 Mar. 2024
    “ Each distinct act is a snapshot of a vibrant community disrupted by racism and capitalism. Each of the three acts is just enough to build the world and invest the audience in the residents who live in the neighborhood, before we are swept away to another era of inequity. Each portraiture is given for the audience to create their own meaning, and overall poses a challenging question of why do we all allow this to happen again and again over time? ”
  • TAMAR, The Two-Gated City by Emma Goldman-Sherman
    22 Mar. 2024
    “ This is a theatrical investigation of the story of rape culture written into the foundation of two religions, and yet rarely called into question. Emma breathes three-dimensional life into characters in search of justice: the young questioner, the ghost, and the one who remained silent. This play uses heightened language, musicality, Socratic dialogue, and a gripping ghost story to drive a clear, concise point home: society will always be haunted by patriarchal control over women's bodies and this well-woven braid of a play provides an opportunity for audiences to find contemporary parallels within the ancient narrative. ”
  • MORBID OBESITY SURPRISE INTERVENTION BIRTHDAY PARTY by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    20 Mar. 2024
    “ This play fiercely dives right into the heart of many relatable questions of body diversity that we're not used to hearing on stage. One of the play's many strengths is demonstrating all the precise ways language is used to shame bodies of size. Millie is a relatable, active protagonist as she struggles to let other people's perceptions dictate her own existence. This is a powerful, non-linear play which launches us into conversations about whiteness intersecting with the culture of thinness that is theatrically innovative, enlightening, and ultimately empowering. ”
  • Lena Passes By by Amanda L. Andrei
    18 Mar. 2024
    “ This is a play full of mystery, magic, cultural lore, and symbolism as the main character goes on a healing journey. This play is full of theatrical potential as we encounter many tricksters and demons, as Lena searches for answers to her father's side of the family. This play feels satisfying as it weaves together both Filipino and Romanian cultures, and asks if we ultimately need the answer to all the family legacy questions, but are we ready to accept ourselves for who we are now in order to heal and grow? ”
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