Jamie Olah
Jamie Olah is a dramatic writer and educator from the mighty Midwest
She is proud to be the granddaughter of first-generation immigrants and a registered member of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community. She is a scholar of comedy and is dedicated to creating new, experimental works that inspire positive social change. She uses her extensive background in physical theatre to craft pieces that are athletic, visceral, and visually striking.
Jamie is the founder of Chicago Playwrights Group, a writing workshop that has supported over 60 theatre creators. She was the co-founder and artistic director of Grassroots Theatre Project, and she served as a company member with Dal Vivo and The Moving Dock Theatre Co. Her plays have been presented by New American Folk Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, The New Coordinates, The Arc Theatre, Links Hall, Physical Theatre Festival Chicago, Adventure Stage Chicago, Clock Productions, Red Tape Theatre, Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Food & Performance, and others.
Recent awards include third place in the 2023 Alfred P. Sloan Script Competition at Carnegie Mellon University and a Certificate of Merit from The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Playwriting Program. Jamie is the recipient of a Frank-Ratchye Further Fund grant from The STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, a GuSH research grant from Carnegie Mellon University, and three artistic grants from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Jamie is a devoted theatre educator with 17 years of experience empowering students of all ages to write and perform their own stories. She holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a BFA in Acting from Viterbo University. She has specialized training in red nose clown (Paola Coletto), bouffon (Nathaniel Justiniano), commedia dell’arte (Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre), the Michael Chekhov technique (Dawn Arnold), and Balinese mask performance (I Ketut Kantor).
Jamie is a member of Dramatists Guild of America, Playwrights’ Center, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and TYA/USA.
NEWS
PRODUCTION
Jamie’s 10 minute play The Ascension of Maxi will be presented as part of the Women in Theatre New Play Festival at Duluth Playhouse on June 6th.
CONFERENCE
Jamie will present "Laughter as a Weapon: How to Write Satire" at the 2025 Association for Theatre in Higher Education annual conference in July.
PRODUCTION
The Great Snail Caper, Jamie’s 45 Minute Comedy for Young Performers, was performed by the students at Audubon Elementary School in Chicago.
PODCAST APPEARANCE
Jamie made her second appearance on the Theatrical Shenanigans podcast on May 25th.
NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT
With the help of a Frank-Ratchye Further Fund Grant from the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, Jamie traveled to Union College to workshop her new one-woman play.
CONFERENCE
Jamie attended the Sloan Film Summit in Los Angeles in recognition of her award-winning screenplay Cloud Club.
