Evalena Friedman (she/her) is a Chicago-based playwright, educator, director, storyteller, occasional poet,and lifelong bookworm. She received her BA in Theatre and Elementary Education summa cum laude from Northeastern University, where she helped launch the first ever new play initiative on campus, producing dozens of student playwrights each year.

As a playwright and director, she has had the pleasure of working with Prop Thtr, Curious Theatre Branch, Strawdog Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, Dandelion Theatre, NoMads Art Collective, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, and Silver Masque Theatre Company. She has also performed original stories with the live lit series “You’re Being Ridiculous” at various venues around Chicago, including Steppenwolf Theatre as part of their LookOut series.

Evalena is proud to be a teaching artist with Lifeline Theatre, a literary associate at A Red Orchid Theatre, and the Library Assistant at the Poetry Foundation. Her poems were recently published by Sword & Kettle Press, and she is part of the 2021-2022 Theatremacher Cohort with the Jewish Theatre Alliance.

Website: evalenafriedman.com

Instagram: @happilyevafter

New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/20334/evalena-friedman

JEWISH-THEMED PLAYS:

TREIF PLAY: The Restaurant, the hottest dining establishment in all of Chicago, is in disarray. Nora quit two days ago out of nowhere, and no one seems to know why. Rachel is brand new and has no idea what she’s doing.

Rumors fly, servers spar, and secrets come to light in this ensemble play about the abuse of power in two radically different communities, and how to rebuild from the wreckage.

MAD GIRLS: Eileen and Ruthie have always been different. Growing up Jewish smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt tends to do that to a person. But Eileen survives her torturous adolescence, escaping to Chicago the first chance she gets, while Ruthie stays behind. Eileen blossoms and blooms in her new life, but Ruthie remains the same, stuck firmly in the past. As we jump about in time and space, we see Eileen finally return to her hometown on the day of a family tragedy, only to discover that her sister is no longer the ally she thought she was.

A play about madness. About hermit crabs. About grief.