Eric Samuelsen
Encyclopedia
Eric R. Samuelsen is a Mormon
playwright
and professor of theatre at Brigham Young University
. He won the Association for Mormon Letters drama award in 1994, 1997, and 1999, and was the president of the Association for Mormon Letters
from 2007 to 2009.
on April 10, 1956, but spent most of his early life in Bloomington, Indiana
. He received a bachelor's degree in theatre from BYU
in 1983 and returned to Bloomington and earned a Ph.D. from Indiana University
in 1991. He taught at Wright State University
in Dayton, Ohio before joining the faculty at BYU
in 1992.
Most of Samuelsen's early plays were produced at BYU
, but more recently he has begun a relationship with Plan B Theatre company, and many of his newer plays have been produced there. This may be due to a more controversial bent in later plays; Borderlands has a character who is an openly gay Mormon
youth.
, fall 1978. Directed by Charles Metten.
A Girl Who Blushes. One act. Produced April, 1978, at Mormon Festival of the Arts at BYU
.
Playing the Game. Produced in 1979 at BYU
.
Emma. Opera libretto, music by Murray Boren. Produced at BYU
1984. Subsequently produced by Hell's Kitchen Opera company in 1984.
Sex and the New York Yankees. One act. Produced by Bloomington Playwrights Project
, Bloomington Indiana.
Accommodations. Produced at BYU
, 1993. Subsequently published in Sunstone magazine
. Won AML annual award in drama, 1994. Directed by Thomas Rogers.
Gadianton. Produced at BYU
, 1996. Directed by Robert Nelson. Subsequently published in Sunstone. Won AML award in drama, 1997. Subsequently produced at University of Louisiana at Monroe
.
Without Romance. Produced at BYU
. Subsequently produced at Mormon Arts Festival.
The Christmas Box. Adapted from the novel by Richard Paul Evans. Produced as a musical at BYU, Pardoe Theater, probably in 1999. Directed by Rodger Sorensen.
The Way We’re Wired. Produced at BYU
, 1999. Won AML award for drama, 1999. Subsequently produced by Nauvoo Theatrical Society in Orem, directed by Eric Samuelsen.
Three Women, 3 one act plays on Mormon women, produced in Springville, probably around 2000.
A Love Affair with Electrons. Produced at BYU
2000. Directed by Eric Samuelsen.
What Really Happened. Produced at BYU
, 2001 or 2002.
The Seating of Senator Smoot. Produced at BYU
. Directed by Robert Nelson. The play was also videotaped and broadcast on KBYU
.
Peculiarities. Several one acts, produced in several iterations. Tony Gunn directed four one acts in Springville, 2005. Plan B Theatre produced three one acts, including Kiss, which was not included in the production Tony Gunn directed. Jerry Rapier directed a film version, with all six short plays included.
Coughlaugh. A theatrical experiment in one act. Blaine Sundrud directed a production at BYU
in 1998. Later produced in 2010 at Brigham Young University.
Family. Produced at BYU
in 2005. Directed by David Morgan. Won AML award, also published in Sunstone. Subsequently produced at Dixie College in St. George, UT, in 2006.
Miasma. First done as ten minute play for Plan-B Theatre Company SLAM, 2005, as The Butcher, The Beggar and the Bed-time Buddy. Subsequently produced as full-length play at Plan-B, 2006, published in Plays From Beyond the Zion Curtain.
Blood Pudding, 10 minute play, done for Plan-B Theatre Company
SLAM, 2006.
Behind the Blue Door, 10 minute play, done for Plan-B Theatre Company
SLAM, 2007.
Burning Desire, 10 minute play, done for Plan-B Theatre Company
SLAM, 2008.
Perfect Circle, 10 minute play, done for Plan-B Theatre Company
/Theatre Arts Conservatory Student SLAM, 2009.
Inversion. Produced by Theatre Arts Conservatory, Salt Lake, Rose Wagner, 2008.
Intersection. Produced by Theatre Arts Conservatory, Salt Lake, Rose Wagner, 2009.
Amerigo. Produced by Plan-B Theatre Company
in Salt Lake City, 2010. Subsequently published in More Plays from Behind the Zion Curtain.
The Plan: Opens March 2011 at the Brinton Black Box in the Covey Center for the Arts, Provo UT.
Borderlands: Opens March 2011 at Plan-B Theatre Company
in Salt Lake City, Jerry Rapier directing.
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and professor of theatre at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. He won the Association for Mormon Letters drama award in 1994, 1997, and 1999, and was the president of the Association for Mormon Letters
Association for Mormon Letters
The Association for Mormon Letters is a nonprofit founded in 1976 to promote quality writing "by, for, and about Mormons." The broadness of this definition of Mormon literature has led the AML to focus on a wide variety of work that has sometimes been neglected in the Mormon community...
from 2007 to 2009.
Biography
Eric Samuelsen was born in Provo, UtahProvo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
on April 10, 1956, but spent most of his early life in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
. He received a bachelor's degree in theatre from BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in 1983 and returned to Bloomington and earned a Ph.D. from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in 1991. He taught at Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
in Dayton, Ohio before joining the faculty at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in 1992.
Most of Samuelsen's early plays were produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, but more recently he has begun a relationship with Plan B Theatre company, and many of his newer plays have been produced there. This may be due to a more controversial bent in later plays; Borderlands has a character who is an openly gay Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
youth.
Works
Letter From a Prophet, co-written by Charles Metten. Produced at BYUBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, fall 1978. Directed by Charles Metten.
A Girl Who Blushes. One act. Produced April, 1978, at Mormon Festival of the Arts at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
.
Playing the Game. Produced in 1979 at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
.
Emma. Opera libretto, music by Murray Boren. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
1984. Subsequently produced by Hell's Kitchen Opera company in 1984.
Sex and the New York Yankees. One act. Produced by Bloomington Playwrights Project
Bloomington Playwrights Project
The Bloomington Playwrights Project is a not-for-profit arts organization in Bloomington, Indiana. The BPP's mission states that it is "dedicated to the furthering of new original plays and theatre." The BPP only produces original work...
, Bloomington Indiana.
Accommodations. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, 1993. Subsequently published in Sunstone magazine
Sunstone Magazine
Sunstone is a magazine published by the Sunstone Education Foundation, Inc., a 501 nonprofit corporation, that discusses Mormonism through scholarship, art, short fiction, and poetry. The foundation began the publication in 1974 and considers it a vehicle for free and frank exchange in The Church...
. Won AML annual award in drama, 1994. Directed by Thomas Rogers.
Gadianton. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, 1996. Directed by Robert Nelson. Subsequently published in Sunstone. Won AML award in drama, 1997. Subsequently produced at University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
.
Without Romance. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. Subsequently produced at Mormon Arts Festival.
The Christmas Box. Adapted from the novel by Richard Paul Evans. Produced as a musical at BYU, Pardoe Theater, probably in 1999. Directed by Rodger Sorensen.
The Way We’re Wired. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, 1999. Won AML award for drama, 1999. Subsequently produced by Nauvoo Theatrical Society in Orem, directed by Eric Samuelsen.
Three Women, 3 one act plays on Mormon women, produced in Springville, probably around 2000.
A Love Affair with Electrons. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
2000. Directed by Eric Samuelsen.
What Really Happened. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, 2001 or 2002.
The Seating of Senator Smoot. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. Directed by Robert Nelson. The play was also videotaped and broadcast on KBYU
KBYU-TV
KBYU-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member public television station serving the U.S. state of Utah. The station broadcasts locally in digital-only on UHF channel 44, which redirects to its former analog channel 11 via PSIP. It is rebroadcast statewide through a network of translators...
.
Peculiarities. Several one acts, produced in several iterations. Tony Gunn directed four one acts in Springville, 2005. Plan B Theatre produced three one acts, including Kiss, which was not included in the production Tony Gunn directed. Jerry Rapier directed a film version, with all six short plays included.
Coughlaugh. A theatrical experiment in one act. Blaine Sundrud directed a production at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in 1998. Later produced in 2010 at Brigham Young University.
Family. Produced at BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in 2005. Directed by David Morgan. Won AML award, also published in Sunstone. Subsequently produced at Dixie College in St. George, UT, in 2006.
Miasma. First done as ten minute play for Plan-B Theatre Company SLAM, 2005, as The Butcher, The Beggar and the Bed-time Buddy. Subsequently produced as full-length play at Plan-B, 2006, published in Plays From Beyond the Zion Curtain.
Blood Pudding, 10 minute play, done for Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company was founded on a shoestring in 1991 and incorporated in 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah and is now one of three fully professional theatre companies in the city...
SLAM, 2006.
Behind the Blue Door, 10 minute play, done for Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company was founded on a shoestring in 1991 and incorporated in 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah and is now one of three fully professional theatre companies in the city...
SLAM, 2007.
Burning Desire, 10 minute play, done for Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company was founded on a shoestring in 1991 and incorporated in 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah and is now one of three fully professional theatre companies in the city...
SLAM, 2008.
Perfect Circle, 10 minute play, done for Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company was founded on a shoestring in 1991 and incorporated in 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah and is now one of three fully professional theatre companies in the city...
/Theatre Arts Conservatory Student SLAM, 2009.
Inversion. Produced by Theatre Arts Conservatory, Salt Lake, Rose Wagner, 2008.
Intersection. Produced by Theatre Arts Conservatory, Salt Lake, Rose Wagner, 2009.
Amerigo. Produced by Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company was founded on a shoestring in 1991 and incorporated in 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah and is now one of three fully professional theatre companies in the city...
in Salt Lake City, 2010. Subsequently published in More Plays from Behind the Zion Curtain.
Upcoming plays
He and She Fighting: A Love Story: in production, opens February 2011 at the New Play Project in Provo. Davey Morrison-Dillard directing.The Plan: Opens March 2011 at the Brinton Black Box in the Covey Center for the Arts, Provo UT.
Borderlands: Opens March 2011 at Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company
Plan-B Theatre Company was founded on a shoestring in 1991 and incorporated in 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah and is now one of three fully professional theatre companies in the city...
in Salt Lake City, Jerry Rapier directing.