Jennifer Uphoff Gray is the Artistic Director of Forward Theatre, a not-for-profit professional theater company based in Madison, Wisconsin.

In this episode Jennifer talks us through her self-designed training, from her “lightbulb” moment to Broadway. We learn how Jennifer collaborated with other artists to form a new thriving arts organization, one that allows her to maintain her family legacy of community engagement and social justice. We also discuss day-to-day-life as an artistic director, and her belief that personal suffering is not required for creative expression.

Jen’s “Three Things:”

• Watching an aspiring director learn, apprentice and now direct theatre professionally

• Excellent new dramatic art available on entertainment streaming services, which allow unusual and experimental storytelling

• The passionate dedication of her colleague, Julia Nicholas, Forward Theatre’s Development Director

Art Lives Theme and Incidental music composed by Nicholaus Meyers. Art Lives Logo created by Eduardo Moreno. Art Lives is available here, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.