About Ajene
About Me
STAGE DIRECTOR PLAYWRIGHT PLAYS
Ajene D. Washington, a native of Kansas City, Missouri has established himself as an important theatrical artist; he is an award-winning director, playwright and set designer. His world premiere production of American Menu won several AUDELCO awards, including the Best Director’s Award, which he received. The production later garnered an Off-Broadway production at the New Federal Theatre. He was nominated as Best Director for The Old Settler, which won AUDELCO’S Best Revival Award. Under his direction of Adam, Timothy Simonson received The Best Solo Actor Award from AUDELCO for his portrayal of Adam Clayton Powell. He recently directed Slapped by Mary E. Weems, which won Best Short Play in the Downtown Urban Arts Festival. Ajene was a founding member of the We Owe Somebody Collective and director of their road production Threads of Tradition, which toured several colleges nationwide.
As a playwright, Ajene has received multiple readings and productions throughout the United States. His plays, And Five Were Not Men Yet and Flashing Back Before Me were the winner of the Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO award in playwriting. The Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s Voices at the River national competition selected his play, Almost September, for their developmental series. His play, I Can See, a Raging Revolt was a finalist in the TRUSpeak festival.
His play A Shadow in Time was a semi-finalist at the O’Neill Center. Woodie King’s Black Touring Circuit commissioned him to write the play Chisholm, a Catalyst for Change, which premiered at the Castillo Theatre. He was commissioned by the Capital Repertory Theatre of Albany, New York to write the children’s play, Around the World in 45 Minutes, for their Star Summer Program. Lock & Load was honored for the Shades of Black Theatre Festival in Nashville, Tennessee.
As a set designer, Ajene has designed a number of sets, receiving a Lucille Lortel nomination for his set design of American Menu. He also won the AUDELCO award for Best Set Design for his set of American King Umps and, he was nominated for an AUDELCO Best Set Design award of The Old Settler.
Ajene received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech and Drama from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, and a Master’s Degree in Theatre Arts from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. He has been a member of The Dramatist Guild, The James Baldwin Writer’s Workshop, The Writer’s Bloc, Martha J. Thomas Writer’s Workshop and New Federal Theatre’s Playwrights Workshop.
He has directed two short films, A Homecoming and The Date.
Artist Statement
What intrigues me about theatre is its transformative potential. It’s a magical, powerful art form that provokes and challenges our imagination, opinions, ambiguities, judgment, joys, hopes, fears, and empathy. It poses challenging questions about what it means to be human. I believe that theatre can be a powerful tool for social change, and I am dedicated to using my craft to give those underrepresented stories a platform. I also seek to produce theatre in all spaces, believing that theatre can occur anywhere and is not confined by walls.
I work in the theatre as a director, playwright, actor, set and lighting designer. When creating a production, it is critical for me to incorporate each discipline and insight. This is vital to my overall creative process.
In directing, I am the audience’s eyes and ears, charged with honoring the writer’s intent while bringing his play to life. Collaboration is essential to my process. When I direct a production, I look for artists who share my aesthetic sensibilities to make the process go more smoothly. I strive to provide a safe and creative environment for all so that everyone can reach their full potential. Our primary goal is to provide a rich and rewarding experience for the audience.
I am fascinated by both twentieth-century American plays and new contemporary works. Although I prefer traditional narratives based in dramatic realism, I am not bound by it. Theatre of the Absurd and Alienation both appeal to my sensibilities. Even though I have spent most of my career mounting African American dramas, I have deep roots in Western theatre. I am always looking for new works that challenge the status quo.
Through my plays, I seek to give voice to those who have been silenced and to create space for meaningful dialogue and connection. I am interested in the human behavior of the common man with all of his complexities. I looked to explore how this character fights to maintain his beliefs and values after his routine is disrupted. I’m curious about what he will and will not do to survive in his new chaotic world. At the heart of my work is a deep concern for human dignity.
I want to keep creating theatre that exposes truths and contradictions while also revealing the connectivity in humanity. My goal is to create theater that moves and inspires, that challenges and empowers, and that contributes to the ongoing struggle for social justice and human dignity. I believe that by using our creativity and our collective voice, we can work towards a more just and equitable world for all people. A theatre that helps us understand our existence better.