Director Literary & Education Programs

Mead Hunter began his theater career as playwright-in-residence for the legendary Storefront Actors’ Theatre of Portland, Oregon. Since then he has written four original plays, translated four more, and served as production dramaturg on numerous productions. In San Francisco, he and installation artist Ondyn Herschelle founded Humble Cottage Productions, which blurred the distinction between performance art and formal theater.

Mead earned an MFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from Yale University and a PhD in Critical Studies from UCLA. He has taught performance history and text analysis at UCLA, UC San Diego, and the California Institute of the Arts. He also guest lectures on contemporary theater at institutions around the United States, and frequently consults for various art service organizations. Recent consulting projects have included South Coast Rep’s Pacific Playwrights Festival, the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival, University of Iowa’s Festival of New Plays, and the Mark Taper Forum’s New Work Festival.

As a journalist he has contributed to many publications, including Performing Arts Journal and American Theatre. His worked has been anthologized in The Playwright’s Muse (Heinemann Press) and Interculturalism (PAJ Publications). For six years he served as Editor-in-Chief of Parabasis, a semiannual journal for playwrights.

For ten years he served as Director of Literary Programs for A.S.K. Theater Projects in Los Angeles where, among other duties, he commissioned many original scripts, including Naomi Iizuka’s 36 Views, Marlane Meyer’s The Mystery of Attraction, Julie Jensen’s Two-Headed, and The Lively Lad by Quincy Long. He also curated a festival of ensemble-generated theater known as Common Ground, which from 1996-2002 introduced many ground-breaking troupes to Los Angeles, including Diavolo Dance Company, Redmoon Theater, Fabulous Monsters and Mabou Mines. Also while in Los Angeles, he curated the popular Hot Properties production series at the John Anson Ford Theater from 1999-2001, and served on the Board of Directors of the Ghost Road Theater Company.

Currently he is Portland Center Stage’s Director Literary & Education Programs. At PCS he is the Festival Manager for JAW A Playwrites Festival, and he has served as production dramaturg on Outrage, Celebrity Row, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Another Fine Mess and O Lovely Glowworm, among other plays. He also serves as on the Advisory Boards of Portland Theater Works and Imago Theatre.