Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder

Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder is a graduate of the dramatic writing program at New York University, where she was a Tisch Dramatic Writing Fellow. Her plays include Gee's Bend, which was commissioned by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and published by Samuel French. The play was the recipient of the Osborn Award given by the American Theatre Critics Association and has been produced at ASF, Denver Center, Cleveland Play House, KC Rep, Northlight, the Arden and Hartford Stage, among others. Her play, The Furniture of Home, which deals with the Gulf Coast recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina premiered at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in 2009. The Flag Maker of Market Street followed at ASF in 2011. The Bone Orchard was commissioned by the Denver Center Theatre and workshopped at the Perry Mansfield New Works Festival. Other plays include Fresh Kills (Royal Court/London), The First Day of Hunting Season (EST) and The Spirit of Ecstasy. She is a proud alumnus of Youngblood at the Ensemble Studio Theatre. As playwright-in-residence at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Elyzabeth developed the curriculum for Playwright in the Classroom, a program aimed at inspiring more high school students to write plays. During that time she toured rural and inner city high schools teaching playwriting, a project that has been featured in American Theatre Magazine. She has adapted her curriculum, aimed at improving reading comprehension and conflict resolution, to serve under-performing elementary students. Elyzabeth has also taught workshops for educators, as well as serving on the faculty at Spring Hill College. Currently, Elyzabeth is the Tennessee Williams Playwright-in-Residence at Sewanee: The University of the South. An accomplished speaker, Elyzabeth has given lectures on playwriting and arts education, and has serverd as guest speaker for numerous women's events and civic organizations. Clients include: the Alabama Festival of the Book, the Alabama Writers Symposium, various Rotary Clubs, Mobile Bay Monthly Women's Luncheon, the Mobile Library Foundation, Auburn University, University of South Alabama, New Stage Theatre, and the YWCA. She has also written articles for American Theatre Magazine, Mobile Bay Monthly and First Draft.