Alayna Jacqueline Barnes
Alayna Jacqueline is an accomplished playwright, dramaturg, and educator based in Minneapolis, with roots tracing back to Columbus, Ohio. A dedicated advocate for new plays, Alayna actively contributes to the vibrant Twin Cities Playwright Cabal. Renowned for her inventive and avant-garde approach to playwriting, she continually explores novel ways to bend, reshape, and deconstruct narratives for the stage.
Alayna's work delves into diverse themes, including identity, mental health, women's relationships, privilege, and the complexities of power dynamics. Her impactful plays have found stages at esteemed venues such as Theater Mu (MN), Phoenix Theater (MN), Market Garden Theatre (MN), Renaissance Theaterworks (WI), Playwrights' Center (MN), MadLab Theater (OH), Lincoln Theater (OH), Pythian Theater (OH), and Haybarn Theater (VT).
Notable among her accomplishments, Alayna's play "ALL OF THE EVERYTHING" was featured at the 2019 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival, and she further honed her craft during a writing residency at the William Inge Center later that year. In 2020, her play with music, "THE RETELLING," captivated audiences during the Twin Cities' Horrorfest.
Commissioned by Lakeshore Players Theatre, Alayna crafted "AN EVENING WITH ELLA AND HAROLD," a compelling production that graced the stage throughout February. Her latest commissioned work, "FOSTERING RESENTMENT," received acclaim through a staged reading at Daleko Arts' inaugural Cesta Festival in New Prague, MN.
Alayna earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Otterbein University and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Her academic journey reflects her commitment to the intersection of theater and creative writing, a fusion that enriches her distinctive voice in the realm of contemporary playwriting.