Sean A. Fortenberry
Playwright, Rehearsal room rewrites
Chicago, IL · (312) 555 0121 · name@example.com · linkedin.com/in/seanafortenberry
Key Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
Nine produced plays since 2017, including four world premieres and two regional premieres
GENRES
Family drama, ensemble realism, adaptations of regional history
SPECIALTIES
Rehearsal room rewrites, dramaturgy sessions, table work, audience talkbacks
SYSTEMS
Final Draft, Microsoft Word track changes, Google Workspace, Dropbox
CREDENTIALS
Member of the Dramatists Guild of America; every full length script registered with the Copyright Office
EDUCATION
Master of Fine Arts in playwriting, Northwestern University
Executive Summary
Playwright with nine produced plays, mostly family drama set in industrial towns. Eight years developing work with storefront ensembles in Chicago, two commissions from regional companies, and two scripts licensed through a national play publisher. Writes fast in the room and rewrites between previews without losing the spine of the play.
Signature Achievements
- Won a Joseph Jefferson Award for new work for a play that ran 11 weeks and extended twice.
- Received two commissions worth 20,000 dollars each from regional companies for full length plays.
- Held a Jerome Fellowship at the Playwrights' Center and developed two scripts during the residency year.
- Licensed two plays through Dramatists Play Service, which have since been produced by 14 companies.
- Selected for the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center from a field of more than 1,000 submissions.
Professional Experience
Ironbound Sunday
Wicker Park Ensemble Theater, Chicago, IL 2024
World premiere, full production, 99 seat storefront house, 11 week run with two extensions.
- Wrote the play on commission and rewrote the second act during the first week of previews.
- Sat in on four weeks of rehearsal with the director and a five person ensemble.
- Ran three postshow talkbacks and used the audience notes for the published acting edition.
The Sinter Yard
Calumet Stage Company, Hammond, IN 2022
Rolling world premiere with two partner companies through a new play network.
- Delivered three drafts over 14 months of development with a resident dramaturg.
- Attended both partner productions and revised the script between them.
- Wrote the study guide the companies used for high school matinees.
Milk Glass
Logan Square Playhouse, Chicago, IL 2020
Workshop production followed by a staged reading series in three cities.
- Developed the script through six workshop sessions with actors and a director.
- Cut the running time from 145 minutes to 105 across the workshop period.
- Traveled to the reading series and revised between each city.
Licensure and Certification
Member, Dramatists Guild of America
Alumni member, Playwrights' Center
Education
Master of Fine Arts in playwriting, Northwestern University, 2017
Bachelor of Arts in theater, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2013
Core Skills
Full length plays · Rehearsal rewrites · Dramaturgy · Commission delivery · Final Draft · Staged readings · Ensemble writing · Licensing and royalties