PLAYWRIGHT . POET . SCREENWRITER
A playwright, poet and screenwriter, Kristen I. Simpson is an alumna of the Columbia University School of the Arts MFA Playwriting program(21’). As an artist, Kristen's work is primarily ensemble-based and is deeply rooted in intergenerational storytelling through ritual, rhythm, music, dance, and poetry.
Her most recent accomplishments include being named as a Semi-Finalist for both the Dramatists Guild Foundation Virtual Fellowship (2023-2024) and the DGF In-Person Fellowship (2022-2023). Her play Dutch Kings was also named as a Semi-Finalist for The American Blues Theater 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award. Kristen graduated Cum Laude from Stony Brook University’s Theatre Arts Program in 2018.
During her time in undergrad she proudly founded and produced two festivals; both of which were the first of their kind for the school and continued long after she graduated: A black history month series and a 10-min play festival.
Under the mentorship of the likes of Lynn Nottage, David Henry Hwang, and Katori Hall, Kristen I. Simpson has developed her own singular artistic language. This language has set her apart as a unique storyteller, inspired to create a wider scope of what the stage and screen can hold for Black bodies.
“TO PLAY, IS TO MAGIC….”
A Letter of Intent
“I am most interested in ensemble-based ritual theatre and pieces that rely on movement as a necessity, rather than an interesting overlay. The best way that I can put it is, in the same ways that characters in musicals must express themselves through song, characters in most of my work must express themselves through movement; it is how they communicate when there are no words left….”
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Dutch Kings (February 20')
Bebe's Kids (February 19')
Bebe's Kids (February 19')
UMOJA (December 19')
Homebase (May 19')
Tuwe Tuwe/ Songs Black Girls Sing on Swings When No One is Watching (March 19')
Nappy (December 19')
The Works (Spring 17')
The Works (Spring 17')
Stony Brook New Works Festival (Spring 17')