About

Jamie Olah is a dramatic writer and educator from the mighty Midwest. 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.

While pursuing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at Carnegie Mellon University, Jamie won third place in the Alfred P. Sloan Script Competition and was awarded a Certificate of Merit from The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Playwriting Program. She 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 the founder of Chicago Playwrights Group, a writing workshop that has served 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.

Jamie holds a BFA in Acting from Viterbo University. She has additional 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 also a devoted theatre educator with 17 years of experience empowering students of all ages to write and perform their own stories.