MINNEAPOLIS: On April 20, the Jungle Theater announced a new leadership and development model under artistic director Christina Baldwin. With this change, the Jungle hopes to cultivate a stronger relationship between theatre administration and artists by fostering growth, communication, and diversity.
Each artist cohort member will become part of Jungle’s yearly staff and a pivotal part of the theatre’s decision-making process, which includes show selection, budget creation, and overall theatre management. They will also curate supplementary material for the Jungle’s next season and receive the financial and production resources to support their own independent projects.
“In our 30th season, the Jungle is entering into a structural transformation that is exciting, intrepid, and imperative to its evolution,” said Jungle artistic director Christina Baldwin in a statement. “This is an ensemble of working artists possessing complementary skill sets and experiences that will impact the DNA of this initiative for years to come—bringing a greater perspective to every level of our organization.”
Sequoia Hauck (she/they) is a Native (Anishinaabe/Hupa) queer multidisciplinary artist based in the Twin Cities, on the stolen and ancestral Dakota lands of the Wahpeton, Mdewakantonwon, Wahpekute, and Sisseton. Sequoia’s focus is on creating theatre, film, poetry, and performance art that decolonizes the process of art-making. They are a graduate from the University of Minnesota/Twin Cities with a B.A. in American Indian Studies. Hauck makes art surrounding the narratives of continuation and resiliency among their communities. Sequoia has worked on- and offstage with organizations such as Aniccha Arts, Art Shanty Projects, Exposed Brick Theatre, Māoriland, An Opera Theatre (AOT), Pangea World Theater, Patrick’s Cabaret, Poetry and Pie, the Southern Theater, and Turtle Theater Collective. They recently directed a nationwide opera with AOT, The Sky Where You Are, and a project fronted by Decameron Opera Coalition, Tales From a Safe Distance, featuring nine world premiere one-act operas. Sequoia’s documentary, Never Turn Your Back to the Wave: The Travis Jordan Story, was in the 2021 Mpls-St. Paul International Film Festival.
JuCoby Johnson (he/him), a playwright and actor, grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., moved to the Twin Cities in 2011, and has been creating there ever since. He has performed onstage at the Guthrie Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Theater Mu, Ten Thousand Things Theatre Company, and many more. His plays include How It’s Gon Be (Underdog Theater), …but you could’ve held my hand (developed at the 2020 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference), 5 (2021 O’Neill NPC Finalist, Seven Devils Finalist), I’ll Be Seeing You Again (Jungle Serial Audio Series), and Revelations (Playing On Air). He is a 2021-2022 McKnight Fellow in playwriting and a graduate of the University of MN/Guthrie theatre actor training program.
James Rodríguez (he/him) is a Twin Cities-based actor and dramaturg. Over the last 15 years he’s worked with Theater Latté Da, Dark & Stormy Productions, Yellow Tree Theatre, Pillsbury House + Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theater Company, Mixed Blood Theatre, and Frank Theatre, among many others. Over the last few years, he’s developed a handful of plays at the Jungle, including two world premieres (Little Women and The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley).
And Angela Timberman (she/her) is an actor and director who has been part of the Twin Cities theatre community for the past 30 years. She’s performed at the Guthrie, Children’s Theatre Company, Park Square Theatre, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, History Theatre, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Illusion Theater, Workhaus Collective, Playwright’s Center, Artistry, Minnesota Fringe Festival, and Jungle Theater. Directing credits include productions at Park Square Theatre, Artistry, Lyric Arts, and Yellow Tree Theatre. She is a crew member at Trader Joe’s store #710, also a theatre experience of sorts. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, actor/musician Jay Albright, and their two sons.
