Contact: JonathanEdmondson94@gmail.com

New Play Exchange Profile

Thanks for checking out my page! I’m a director, playwright, and designer from New Jersey. My passion for theatre began at a young age when I would spend hours playing with action figures and dolls, making up stories for them and leading them on adventures. As I got older I channeled this creativity into acting, and performed in numerous school plays and musicals.

When I attended undergrad at The College of New Jersey, I began working on the production side of theatre. I had three of my original one-acts (Crestfallen, Drowning, and Framed) staged on campus, in addition to directing a production of Rent. My senior year, I served as President of TCNJ Musical Theatre, producing two productions and leading the organization.

On my breaks from TCNJ, I began directing at local theaters throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Upon graduating, I was accepted as one of seven members of the 25th Class of Arden Professional Apprentices at the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA. This rigorous, 10-month training program gave me exposure to all departments - production, marketing, front of house, development, artistic, and more. Upon completion of the program, I was hired full-time as the Development Coordinator.

As of December 2020, I serve as the Artistic Director of The Strides Collective,  a Philadelphia-based nonprofit theatre company that produces new works by emerging artists that embrace the queer experience. We provide a supportive space to develop modern and authentic stories that challenge preconceived notions, all while pushing the boundaries of traditional theatre-making. 

My directing style is grounded in textual analysis, character building, and world creating. I believe in shaping a shared vocabulary between actors, directors, designers, and crew in order to understand the rules and language of the world created within a script. As both a director and a writer, I am particularly interested in the way gender, sexuality, and race intersect and influence a character’s journey. I believe in getting as close to the truth as possible, chipping away to reveal an authentic core.