Jennifer S Hartley is a Scottish fiction author,

applied theatre Applied drama (also known as applied theatre or applied performance) is an umbrella term for the use of theatrical practices and creativity that take participants and audience members further than mainstream theatre. It is often in response to co ...

practitioner and director. She is the author of the novel ''The Shadow Whisperer'' published 2020 to critical acclaim, ''Applied Theatre in Action: a Journey'', as well as various plays, poetry, and other writings.

Early life and education

Hartley was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

, Scotland, to Scottish parents who were both teachers. After completing a degree in English Literature and Linguistics at

Strathclyde University The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal c ...

in Glasgow, she went on to study direction and acting, where she specialised in applied theatre practices. Hartley received a doctorate from

Queen Margaret University Queen Margaret University is a university, founded in 1875 and located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Scottish Queen Saint Margaret. History The university was founded in 1875, as ''The Edinburgh School of Cookery and Domestic ...

in Edinburgh where she addressed the effects of oppression on creativity. However her great passion has always rested in writing novels.

Career

After a number of directing theatre ventures in the UK and abroad, Hartley’s work focused on South America, where she produced and directed theatre in both Spanish and English. At this time, Hartley was also teaching and lecturing on both drama theory and practice. Her work focused on therapy through theatre, working with theories and methodology related to

Augusto Boal Augusto Boal (16 March 1931 – 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian theatre practitioner, drama theorist, and political activist. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical left popular education movemen ...

Theatre of the Oppressed The Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) describes theatrical forms that the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal first elaborated in the 1970s, initially in Brazil and later in Europe. Boal was influenced by the work of the educator and theor ...

. Through their study and application, Hartley developed her own working practice, one that she now uses to work with minority and oppressed groups (in addition to their respective oppressors) internationally. This, in turn, has led to a number of studies, publications and works by Hartley including plays, academic articles, and poetry. Hartley's plays include ''The Art of Silence'' (2005), ''The Sin Eater'' (2006), and ''Til Death do us Part'' (2010). ''The Art of Silence'' was performed in over eight countries and in three different languages, including performances at the

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

in 2006. Hartley regularly works on various theatre projects, both community and therapy-based, from which new writing is also being developed. In 2010, Hartley gave a talk at the

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sa ...

conference in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

entitled ''The Truth in the Lie''. This talk addressed the idea of personal truths as perceived by individuals, and hence the ultimately subjective nature of truth itself.

Other activities

Hartley is the founder and director of the UK registered charity Theatre Versus Oppression (TVO). She has run projects around the world with TVO including work in Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, the USA and the UK. Hartley is regularly developing new projects in the UK and abroad, working in conjunction with various other non-profit organisations and educational establishments. She is also the co-director and co-founder of the media company Multi Story Media Limited.

Published works

Plays

*The Shadow Whisperer, 2020 *The Collection Applied Theatre Edition with Exercises, 2019 *The Collection (a collection of 4 plays); 2014 * Sold: Kindle edition, 2013. *'Til Death do us Part. Amazon: Kindle edition, 2010. *The Sin Eater. Arandurã Editorial & Amazon: Kindle edition, 2006. *The Art of Silence. Arandurã Editorial & Amazon: Kindle edition, 2005. *Cabezas Dislocadas. Amazon: Kindle edition, 2004.

Fiction

*''The Shadow Whisperer''.under a minute.

Non-fiction

*''Applied Theatre in Action: a Journey''. UK: Trentham, 2012. . *''La Opresion Como un Estimulo para el cambio''. Paraguay: Arandurã Editorial, 2005.

Poetry

*A Puppet without Strings. Paraguay: Arandurã Editorial, 2005.

References

External links

*
TEDxKrungthep - Jennifer Hartley - "The Truth in the Lie"Jennifer S Hartley's page on the Literature Wales websiteInterview with Jennifer S Hartley in the Western Mail, Wales' national newspaper
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Jennifer S Living people Writers from Glasgow Scottish people of Spanish descent Year of birth missing (living people) Scottish women dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish women writers 21st-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish writers Scottish women poets Alumni of Queen Margaret University Alumni of the University of Strathclyde Scottish theatre directors Women theatre directors