About
A former theatre educator, Jean Burgess taught theatre arts on both the secondary and college level for 23 years. Her short play, Deleted, was selected as a top ten finalist in the Actors Theatre of Grand Rapids, MI’s 2017 New Play Festival and was also selected as a top three finalist in the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s 2018 Plays-in-Progress Festival Coffee House Series. Deleted as well as two of her other short plays are published in her book, Collaborative Stage Directing: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Positive Theatre Environment (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2019). Jean currently freelances as a content writer and editor. In addition to the Author's Guild, she is a member of the Maryland Writers Association and the Eastern Shore Writers Association. Jean received her M.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University. She lives in Westminster, Maryland with her husband, Don McCombie.
Featured Work
Collaborative Stage Directing: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Positive Theatre Environment (Routledge/Taylor & Francis)
Collaborative Stage Directing: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Positive Theatre Environment focuses on the director's collaboration with actors and the creative team, and the importance of communication and leadership skills to create and manage a healthy working environment. Speaking directly to the student, this compact resource walks the aspiring director through basic principles of group dynamics, active listening, open-ended questioning, brainstorming, and motivational leadership, supported by examples and case studies offered by current professional and academic directors.
