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Jules Odendahl-James
Duke University
M.A./PhD, Performance Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1999, 2003) M.F.A., Directing, Dept. of Theater and Dance, University of Texas at Austin (1996)
Jules is the Associate Artistic Director of Manbites Dog Theatre, an acclaimed independent theater in Durham, NC. She also serves as Research Director for the gender parity and inclusion advocacy group The Ladies of the Triangle Theatre.
From 2011-2014, Jules served as Resident Dramaturg and a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Theater Studies at Duke University. She is currently an Adjunct Faculty member there as well as the Program Director of Arts and Humanities Advising. She is a founding member of Bold Maids Productions, a feminist performance company (1996 – 2003) who, in addition to producing work by women playwrights, composed a series of original scripts tackling issues of identity, sexuality, and politics through a vaudevillian approach to academic theory. Her directing work is marked by her investments in an ensemble dynamic, cross-gender casting and performance language, the work of female playwrights, and the adaptation of literature and visual texts for the stage.
In North Carolina she has worked with Duke University, Playmakers Repertory Company, Manbites Dog Theater, Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern, Burning Coal, Carrboro ArtsCenter, UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art, and Company Carolina.
Documentary Theater. Adaptation. Female playwrights. Science plays. Forensic media. Feminist performance work. Devised work. New Media & Dramaturgy.
Recent dramaturgy & directing:
Director. The Moors. Jen Silverman. Manbites Dog Theater. Durham, NC. February 2017.
Director. Vinegar Tom. Caryl Churchil. Duke University. Durham, NC. November 2017.
Dramaturg. Life Sucks. Aaron Posner. Stage Director Jeff Storer. Manbites Dog Theater, Durham, NC. October 2017
Dramaturg. Marjorie Prime. Jordan Harrison. Stage Director Jeff Storer. Manbites Dog Theatre. Durham, NC. April 2017.
Director. Hookman. Lauren Yee. Meredith College. Raleigh, NC. April 2017.
Director. Bright Half Life. Tanya Barfield. Manbites Dog Theatre. Durham, NC. February 2017.
Director. Kiss Me Kate. Cole Porter with Samuel and Bella Spewack. William Peace University. Raleigh, NC. October 2016.
New Play Dramaturg. ARDEO by Jacqueline Lawton. Staged Reading. Winston-Salem and Chapel Hill, NC. May 2016.