At Playwrights’ Center, we grieve the devastating loss of Core Writer Rachel Jendrzejewski, who died of metastatic breast cancer on July 14.
Rachel was known and beloved in the Twin Cities and beyond as a creator, collaborator, and champion who had a profound and lasting impact on our theater community as a whole, and on countless artists within it.
Rachel was an integral part of Red Eye Theater for over a decade. During that time, Red Eye produced two of her plays, Meronymy and Early Morning Song, and she became a part of the leadership collective in 2019, lending her enthusiasm and expertise to the development of experimental, interdisciplinary work.
Over her decades of association with Playwrights’ Center she embedded her spirit and artistry deeply into our DNA, as a McKnight Fellow in Playwriting, Jerome Fellow, and Core Writer. She developed 10 new pieces with us—including TRACES (after Sophie Calle), last season’s collaboration with Ivan Talijancic and the Walker Art Center. Her passion for connecting artists across disciplines and around the globe inspired frequent collaboration among them, all while she continued her fierce support of the local artists in her immediate reach.
Many of those artists called Rachel a personal friend.
One frequent collaborator on our staff recalled that Rachel “ignored traditional rules about narrative. Her work didn’t follow a straight line—it made space to reflect, to bring your own meaning. She played with form in all the ways—break it, bend it, stretch it…she was always experimenting. She was hella collaborative. She thrived in shared spaces. She listened deeply. She made people feel seen. And everyone says it, because it’s true: She was a light. She glided into rooms—somehow weightless, always warm.”
Rachel was a prolific artist and always had another project (or three!) in the works. This past spring she was back in the rehearsal studio continuing to develop new works with dear friends and long-time collaborators Terry Hempfling, matt regan, SuperGroup, Pramila Vasudevan, Emily Gastineau, and Val Oliveiro. She loved the mess of a new process and the joy of not knowing in a roomful of trusted colleagues.
All of us at Playwrights’ Center are heartbroken and grateful for the too-short time we spent in Rachel’s presence. Our thoughts are with her family and friends who have been by her side throughout her illness.
In Rachel’s own words (as heard on American Theatre’s The Subtext podcast): “I was never the writer who was like ‘I have something to say and I want to figure out how to say it.’ It was more like ‘I’m trying to…pay attention to the world. I’m trying to learn and listen.’ And writing has been a vehicle for that kind of process for me.”
Rest in power to Rachel Jendrzejewski: a powerful artist to whom we had the immeasurable privilege of listening.