E.J. Westlake
Encyclopedia
E.J. Westlake is a playwright and performance studies scholar. She won an Oregon Book Award
in 1991.
, the daughter of Curtis Edison Westlake, a factory worker at Delco Products
, and Joy Louise Hauser, a political activist and printer. After graduating from Colonel White Performing Arts School in Dayton, Ohio
in 1982, Westlake attended the University of Minnesota
where she majored in Theatre Arts and Business (Bachelor of Individualized Studies, 1985).
and began working at the New Rose Theatre first as the Box Office Manager, then as the Marketing Director. There she met Rod Harrel. She, Harrel, and Robin Suttles founded Stark Raving Theatre
in 1988 and began developing and staging new plays. Several of Westlake's own plays were staged there, including The Foofy, Open-Toed Shoe: a Not Necessarily Politically Correct, Lesbian, Feminist, Mystery Farce, From Here to Absurdity, Mothers of Heroes, about Westlake's experience with the Benjamin Linder Construction Brigade in Nicaragua
, and A.E.: the Disappearance and Death of Amelia Earhart. Westlake also directed several of the plays at the theatre, including Cold Hands, and Split Britches' Little Women: the Tragedy.
For A.E., Westlake received the Oregon Book Award
from the Oregon Institute for Literary Arts for 1992.
Westlake left Stark Raving
to begin graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
in 1992 and completed her PhD
in Theatre and Drama in 1997.
Westlake is the author of Our Land is Made of Courage and Glory: Nationalist Performance in Nicaragua and Guatemala and is co-editor of Political Performances: Theory and Practice.
She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Drama in the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
.
Oregon Book Award
The Oregon Book Awards are presented annually by Literary Arts, Inc. for "the finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, drama and young readers literature." -History:...
in 1991.
Early life
E.J. Westlake was born Jane Elizabeth Westlake in Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, the daughter of Curtis Edison Westlake, a factory worker at Delco Products
Delco Electronics
Delco Electronics Corporation was the automotive electronics design and manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors based in Kokomo, Indiana.The name Delco came from the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co., founded in Dayton, Ohio by Charles Kettering and Edward A...
, and Joy Louise Hauser, a political activist and printer. After graduating from Colonel White Performing Arts School in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
in 1982, Westlake attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
where she majored in Theatre Arts and Business (Bachelor of Individualized Studies, 1985).
Career
Westlake moved to Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and began working at the New Rose Theatre first as the Box Office Manager, then as the Marketing Director. There she met Rod Harrel. She, Harrel, and Robin Suttles founded Stark Raving Theatre
Stark Raving Theatre
Stark Raving Theatre was a theatre company in Portland, Oregon that operated from 1988 to 2006. Unlike most other theatres in the country, it was dedicated to premiering new works.-Starting up:...
in 1988 and began developing and staging new plays. Several of Westlake's own plays were staged there, including The Foofy, Open-Toed Shoe: a Not Necessarily Politically Correct, Lesbian, Feminist, Mystery Farce, From Here to Absurdity, Mothers of Heroes, about Westlake's experience with the Benjamin Linder Construction Brigade in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, and A.E.: the Disappearance and Death of Amelia Earhart. Westlake also directed several of the plays at the theatre, including Cold Hands, and Split Britches' Little Women: the Tragedy.
For A.E., Westlake received the Oregon Book Award
Oregon Book Award
The Oregon Book Awards are presented annually by Literary Arts, Inc. for "the finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, drama and young readers literature." -History:...
from the Oregon Institute for Literary Arts for 1992.
Westlake left Stark Raving
Stark Raving Theatre
Stark Raving Theatre was a theatre company in Portland, Oregon that operated from 1988 to 2006. Unlike most other theatres in the country, it was dedicated to premiering new works.-Starting up:...
to begin graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in 1992 and completed her PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Theatre and Drama in 1997.
Westlake is the author of Our Land is Made of Courage and Glory: Nationalist Performance in Nicaragua and Guatemala and is co-editor of Political Performances: Theory and Practice.
She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Drama in the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the performing arts in the United States. It is part of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The School of Music, Theatre & Dance was founded in 1880 and is currently headed by...
.