Playwrights Branden Jacobs-Jenkins & Martha Clarke Join Signature Theatre’s Residency Five Program

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Martha Clarke are the newest playwrights to join Signature Theatre’s Residency Five program. For the program Signature provides a five-year residency to each playwright with the promise to stage three full productions of new works by each playwright. Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins join current Residency Five playwrights Annie Baker, Will Eno, Katori Hall, Kenneth Lonergan and Regina Taylor.

“We are thrilled to welcome Martha and Branden to Residency Five,” Signature Theatre founding artistic director James Houghton said in a statement. “Martha is an artist whose striking, multidisciplinary work has distinguished her as one of this generation's most visionary theater-makers. Branden is an exciting talent with a vibrant and provocative voice. Together these two artists will challenge and inspire us, and we look forward to having them join our growing community of writers at The Pershing Square Signature Center.”

Jacobs-Jenkins’ plays include Appropriate, Neighbors and A Light Design. He is a recipient of thee Princess Grace Awards, a Fullbright Fellowship, the Paula Vogel Award and the Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting.

Clarke’s off-Broadway playwriting credits include Garden of Earthly Delights, Vienna: Lusthaus (revisited), Belle Epoque and Kaos. She is a founding member of the Pilobolus Dance Theatre and Crowsnest, and has choreographed for Nederlans Dans Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Rambert Dance Company and the Martha Graham Company. Her additional directing credits include Alice’s Adventures Underground, The Magic Flute, Cosi Fan Tutte, Marco Polo and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.