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Member Info
Jules Odendahl-James
Job Title: Lecturer; Program Director Humanities Advising
Organization affiliation:
Location: DURHAM,
NC
Duke University
Member since: 2011
Education:
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)
Biography:
Jules is a founding company member of the Bulldog Ensemble Theatre in Durham, Formerly an Associate Artistic Director of Manbites Dog Theatre from 2014 until is closure in 2018, she is an acclaimed independent theater artist based in Durham, NC.
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 there as well as Duke's Director of Academic Engagement for the Arts and Humanities.
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, UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art, Bulldog Ensemble Theatre, Justice Theatre Project, the Carrboro ArtsCenter, and Company Carolina.
Areas of Expertise:
Documentary Theater. Adaptation. Female playwrights. Science plays. Forensic media. Feminist performance work. Devised work. New Media & Dramaturgy.
Recent Work:
Recent dramaturgy & directing:
Dramaturg. Fefu and Her Friends. Duke University. Covid-19 interrupted process. April 2020.
Director. As You Like It Shakespeare. Duke University. November 2019.
New Play Dramaturgy. Behold! A Negress. Jacqueline Lawton. UNC-Department of Dramatic Art. Chapel Hill, NC. May 2018.
Director. In A Word. Lauren Yee. Bulldog Ensemble Theatre. Durham, NC. March 2018.
Director. Men on Boats. Jaclyn Backhaus. Justice Theatre Project. Raleigh, NC. February 2019.
New Play Dramaturg. Edges of Time. Jacqueline Lawton. Playmakers Repertory Company Workshop. Chapel Hill, NC. December 2018.
Director. The Moors. Jen Silverman. Manbites Dog Theater. Durham, NC. February 2018.
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.
Website: http://julesodendahljames.com