PLAYWRIGHT . POET . CHOREO-DRAMATIST
A New York-based playwright, poet and choreo-dramatist, Kristen I. Spencer is a recent graduate of the Columbia University School of the Arts MFA Playwriting program(21’). As an artist, Kristen is primarily interested in writing plays for Black bodies and exploring inter-generational storytelling through ritual, rhythm, music, dance, and poetry.
Her most recent presentations include Dutch Kings (Brave New World Repertory Theatre’s Brave New Works 21’), (Columbia University Theatre Department 2nd Year Playwrights Presentation 20’), and UMOJA, a night of Black Theatre works that she co-founded with Devon Kidd (Columbia MFA Playwright 21’). Her play Dutch Kings was named as a Semi-Finalist for the American Blues Theater 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award.
Kristen I. Spencer graduated Cum Laude from Stony Brook University’s Theatre Arts Program in 2018. During her time in undergrad she founded two festivals. One of these was a 4-week Black History month series, The Works. The mission of the series was to promote and display pieces produced out of the Black/African diaspora to the Stony Brook community. The other festival; Thanks for Theatre 10-min Play Festival, consisted of 5 published works and 5 original student pieces that she handpicked. Both series were the first of their kind.
Under the mentorship of the likes of Lynn Nottage, David Henry Hwang, and Katori Hall, Kristen I. Spencer has developed her own specific artistic language. This language has set her apart as a unique storyteller who is uninterested in traditional, euro-centric theatre norms.
“TO PLAY, IS TO MAGIC….”
A Letter of Intent
“I am most interested in ensemble-based ritual theatre and pieces that rely on movement as a necessity, rather than an interesting overlay. The best way that I can put it is, in the same ways that characters in musicals must express themselves through song, characters in most of my work must express themselves through movement; it is how they communicate when there are no words left….”
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Bebe's Kids (February 19')
Bebe's Kids (February 19')
UMOJA (December 19')
Homebase (May 19')
Tuwe Tuwe/ Songs Black Girls Sing on Swings When No One is Watching (March 19')
Nappy (December 19')
The Works (Spring 17')
The Works (Spring 17')
Stony Brook New Works Festival (Spring 17')