Jenni Werner, Executive Artistic Director
Jenni Werner comes to The New Harmony Project after serving twelve years as the Director of Literary and Artistic Development Programs at Geva Theatre Center, in Rochester, NY. In that role, she developed and produced Geva’s commissioning work, the Rochester Stories program, and shepherded new plays from idea to production. She led the development of more than 45 new plays during her tenure at Geva, and served as dramaturg on more than 30 productions, including classics and world premieres.
Jenni also served as an artistic producer at Geva, and created innovative programming like Journey to the Son, a 4-day blues festival exploring the life and legacy of renowned blues musician Son House; and during the COVID pandemic shutdown, a 26-episode podcast called Out of the Rehearsal Hall, which offered listeners an opportunity to connect with theatre artists around the country.
She has taught playwriting and text analysis courses at New York University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth College of Rochester, and the State Universities of New York at Geneseo and Brockport.
Previously she served as the Director of Programming at Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the non-profit theatre field, where she produced the largest gatherings of theatre leaders in the U.S.
Jenni has an M.F.A. in dramaturgy from UMASS Amherst and a B.A. in theatre and history from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. She previously served on the board of ImageOut, Rochester’s LGBTQ film festival and currently serves on the board of the National New Play Network, where she is co-chair of the Membership Committee.