Ayvaunn Penn

Ayvaunn Penn is in the final year of her Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting at Columbia University where she has the honor of being the School of the Arts Dean’s Fellowship recipient for the playwriting class of 2018. She is also a lyricist, composer, and director. She most recently served as assistant director to two-time Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson at the Billie Holiday Theatre and Golden Globe winner Regina Taylor at the Tony Award winning Goodman Theatre.

Prior to attending Columbia University, she earned a Master of Arts in Theatre with a double concentration in acting and playwriting at Louisiana Tech University. She was honored with: the 2015 Lula Mae Sciro Award for Theatre Excellence, the 2015 Arthur W. Stone Playwright Award, and also won first place in the graduate level research symposium for her presentation on Shakespeare's use of metre to define relationships between characters as well as portray a character’s nature. Her undergraduate degree was completed at Austin College with a BA in English and Philosophy.

Penn is the founder of Black And Making It — a press outlet featuring black artists on and off Broadway. A few interviewees include two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, two-time Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago, and Motown music legend turned playwright Berry Gordy. She is also the founder of the Bible & Penn Productions which uses theatre to help audiences, students, and actors engage scripture in new and exciting ways. Ayvaunn is: a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation 2017-2018 Observership Class; an inductee of Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society; and a member of the Dramatist Guild of America.