Gina Stevensen

I'm a playwright, screenwriter, actor, and writing instructor. I lived in New York City for 13 years, where I earned my BFA in Theatre from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and my MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University. I received a 2023 Creation Grant from the Vermont Arts Council / National Endowment for the Arts and I was the 2021 winner of the Kernodle New Play Award, the 2020 winner of the New Works Initiative at Good Luck Macbeth Theatre, and a 2019 winner of the Columbia @ Roundabout New Play Reading Series.

My plays have been developed and presented in NYC, London, and across the U.S. with Roundabout Theatre Company, American Stage, Urban Stages, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hartford Stage, Barter Theatre, and more. I was a finalist for Theatre503's International Playwriting Award, the Jewish Playwriting Contest, and the Austin Film Festival Pitch Competition. I've been a semifinalist for the Princess Grace Award (twice), the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference (three times), the Bay Area Playwrights Festival (three times), the Blue Ink Playwriting Award, the Ashland New Plays Festival, Berkeley Rep's Ground Floor, and more.

My TV pilot "Summerland" was a 2021 finalist for the Big Apple Film Festival and a 2021 semifinalist for the NYC International Screenplay Contest and Reno-Tahoe Screenplay Contest. I've learned a lot about the world of film and television from my work assisting TV writer James Manos (Dexter, The Sopranos) on several new projects in development for HBO Max, BMW, and more.

I've had so many great teachers in my writing career, and I love nothing more than being able to share what I've learned (and what I'm still learning!) with others. I've been a guest lecturer at the University of Vermont, University of Arkansas MFA Playwriting program, New York University, and Hunter College, and have taught stage & screenwriting workshops with The Writer's Rock, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, the Burlington Writers Workshop, and more. I also offer private coaching, dramaturgy, and script consultation for writers at all levels and at all stages of their projects.

I'm passionate about creating art with a purpose. My writing process is research-driven and collaborative, focusing on character-based explorations of socially relevant subjects in the form of comedy, drama, and many things in between. Through storytelling, we are practicing for the world: it's a safe space to express our feelings, to share our stories, and to engage with points of view that might be unfamiliar or even uncomfortable. I believe wholeheartedly in the power of storytelling to change our world, and I am passionate about sharing that potential with writers of all ages and experiences.