Tara Meddaugh
Artist Statement
I am a playwright with a passion for bringing theater and writing to youth. Check out my work at tarameddaugh.com
My theatrical work has been performed throughout the US and world-wide at theaters, schools, universities and festivals. My plays range from dark comedies about demanding bingo chips, to absurd theater of fairies stuck in a jar, to a drama about human trafficking. I don't write overtly "political" plays, but I find it exciting to write allegorically, allowing audiences to laugh or cringe at something which seems far from our reality, and then later reflect on, and interpret, its relevancy.
In addition to writing, I love bringing the arts to people in all walks of life. I have taught playwriting to youth, at the university level, as well as to adults. In addition to traditional settings like classrooms or theaters, I've led programs in places such as a group home, housing authority, library, park, Girl Scout camp. I believe art can be transformative. I believe theatrical writing, in particular, offers a rare opportunity of self-expression. It is private, yet it becomes public when it breathes, and requires collaboration to exist as theater. Allowing opportunities for unique young voices to be expressed is a privilege for me and a necessity for the future of theater. Theater and writing are also FUN and I love to share the sense of pride with students.
Educational Background
Carnegie Mellon University, M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing and Colgate University, B.A. in English.
I am a playwright with a passion for bringing theater and writing to youth. Check out my work at tarameddaugh.com
My theatrical work has been performed throughout the US and world-wide at theaters, schools, universities and festivals. My plays range from dark comedies about demanding bingo chips, to absurd theater of fairies stuck in a jar, to a drama about human trafficking. I don't write overtly "political" plays, but I find it exciting to write allegorically, allowing audiences to laugh or cringe at something which seems far from our reality, and then later reflect on, and interpret, its relevancy.
In addition to writing, I love bringing the arts to people in all walks of life. I have taught playwriting to youth, at the university level, as well as to adults. In addition to traditional settings like classrooms or theaters, I've led programs in places such as a group home, housing authority, library, park, Girl Scout camp. I believe art can be transformative. I believe theatrical writing, in particular, offers a rare opportunity of self-expression. It is private, yet it becomes public when it breathes, and requires collaboration to exist as theater. Allowing opportunities for unique young voices to be expressed is a privilege for me and a necessity for the future of theater. Theater and writing are also FUN and I love to share the sense of pride with students.
Carnegie Mellon University, M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing and Colgate University, B.A. in English.