Claudia Allen

Claudia Allen is an American playwright and educator based in Chicago, Illinois. She is known for writing LGBT characters in her plays, for Hannah Free,
Claudia Allen Papers
'' DePaul University Special Collections and Archives. Accessed March 10, 2017. and for her association with the Victory Gardens Theater.

Life

Claudia Allen was born on October 2, 1954, and grew up in Clare, Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in English. In 1979, Allen left Michigan for Chicago. Allen began writing, depicting the lesbian and bisexual characters she felt were absent from media. 11 of Allen's 24 produced plays (as of 2010) have lesbian themes or lesbian or bisexual main characters. Allen is "out and proud."

Allen wrote throughout the 1980s without getting produced. Her works have been featured and produced around Chicago, such as her play ''They Even Got the Rienzi,'' which was one of only two works by women in the Great Chicago Playwrights Exposition by Victory Gardens and Body Politic theaters in 1987. In the late 80s and early 90s, Allen developed a relationship with the creative team at Victory Gardens, and saw her plays produced there in number.

Allen's most produced lesbian play is ''Hannah Free'', which premiered at Chicago's Bailiwick Repertory Theatre in 1992. Allen co-produced and wrote the screenplay of the 2009 film, Hannah Free, starring Sharon Gless. She also wrote the novelization, ''Hannah Free: the Novel'' (2010).

Allen has taught at DePaul University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Lake Forest College, and Western Michigan University.

Claudia Allen has collections of scripts, drafts, programs, and other documents with DePaul University Special Collections and Archives, and with the Chicago Public Library.

Victory Gardens Theater

Allen is an original member of the Victory Gardens Playwrights' Ensemble, which was founded in 1996. She often partnered with Sandy Shinner, the associate artistic director of Victory Gardens. Allen premiered many works at Victory Gardens, including ''I Sailed with Magellan, Winter ''and ''Fossils ''(both starred Julie Harris), ''Cahoots ''(starring Sharon Gless), ''Deed of Trust, The Long Awaited ''and'' Still Waters ''(all starring Deanna Dunagan), ''Unspoken Prayers,'' and ''Hanging Fire.''

Awards

Allen has won two Jeff Awards for New Works, for ''The Long Awaited'' in 1989 and for ''Still Waters'' in 1991. Allen's Jeff nominations for New Works include ''Winter'' in 1999, ''Xena Live Episode 2: Xena Lives! The Musical'' in 2002, and ''I Sailed With Magellan'' in 2007. Allen's play ''I Sailed With Magellan'' is an adaptation of Stuart Dybek's book, I Sailed with Magellan.

Allen was named Best Playwright by Chicago (magazine) in 1999.

In 2000, Allen received a Trailblazer Award from Bailiwick Repertory Theatre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Cludia
1954 births
Living people
DePaul University Special Collections and Archives holdings
Writers from Chicago
American women dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
LGBT theatre in the United States
American LGBT writers
University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni
People from Clare, Michigan
LGBT people from Michigan
20th-century American women writers
LGBT academics
21st-century American LGBT people
21st-century American women