Bio:

Jamie Olah is a dramatic writer and educator from the mighty Midwest. She is a scholar of  comedy and is dedicated to creating new, experimental works that inspire positive social  change. She uses her extensive background in physical theatre to craft pieces that are athletic,  visceral, and visually striking. 

While pursuing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at Carnegie Mellon University, Jamie won third  place in the Alfred P. Sloan Script Competition and was awarded a Certificate of Merit from The  Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Playwriting Program. She is the recipient of a Frank-Ratchye Further Fund grant from The STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, a GuSH  research grant from Carnegie Mellon University, and three artistic grants from the City of  Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.  

Jamie is the founder of Chicago Playwrights Group, a writing workshop that has served over 60 theatre creators. She was the co-founder and artistic director of Grassroots Theatre Project,  and she served as a company member with Dal Vivo and The Moving Dock Theatre Co. Her plays have been presented by New American Folk Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, The New  Coordinates, The Arc Theatre, Links Hall, Physical Theatre Festival Chicago, Adventure Stage  Chicago, Clock Productions, Red Tape Theatre, Dell’Arte International School of Physical  Theatre, Food & Performance, and others. 

Jamie holds a BFA in Acting from Viterbo University. She has additional specialized training in  red nose clown (Paola Coletto), bouffon (Nathaniel Justiniano), commedia dell’arte (Dell’Arte  International School of Physical Theatre), the Michael Chekhov technique (Dawn Arnold), and  Balinese mask performance (I Ketut Kantor). Jamie is also a devoted theatre educator with 17 years of experience empowering students of all ages to write and perform their own stories.