Bio

Emma Swain is a German-American playwright, stage manager, and theatre artist currently based in Minneapolis, MN, and originally from Grayslake, IL. She holds a B.A. in Music Theatre & English from Carthage College, and works as a stage & house manager, crew member, substitute teacher, and teaching artist across the Twin Cities, most recently on ELF, JR with Children's Performing Arts and 9 TO 5 at Lyric Arts. Her plays have appeared in readings/workshops nationwide, including Orlando Rep., the Lanford Wilson Festival, and at various high schools and colleges.

PLAYWRITING: Professionally, Emma's work has appeared in readings and workshops at New Match Collective in San Diego, CA (Wire Taps), Orlando Repertory Theater’s Summer TYA Workshops (Cinderella: The Real Story) and the Region III Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (Wire Taps). Her work has also been seen in staged readings at Carthage College (i didn't think it would look like this; Second Drafts; Voices of VOW; What We Have Now (or, Valentine’s-f**king-Day)). She was awarded the Region III John Cauble Short Play Award for Wire Taps at KCACTF in January 2020. "Ellen's Monologue" from What We Have Now will appear in Smith & Kraus's annual "Best Women's Monologues" anthology in August of 2021. In-development plays include The Papier-Blumen Meadow (a German-English play for young audiences) and Two Wrens (a full-length play with music). Most recently, her work is being performed by the talented students of Irma Marsh Middle School, who will present Second Drafts as their UIL Junior-High One-Act competition entry! Aside from plays, Emma is also a writer of poetry, short stories, creative nonfiction, and critical literature analysis. Other projects include her undergraduate thesis on gender performance in Fun Home, the Musical, a novel told through WWII-era postcards, and a book of poetry.

Emma’s plays can also be found on the New Play Exchange (NPX) at https://newplayexchange.org/users/47855/emma-swain.