Wyckham Avery is a playwright.

I am a playwright. Yes, I write plays, but I also build them. I am a ‘wright’ in the very true sense of the word. I make plays. I direct, perform, write, sing, dance, and teach. All of these things make me a playwright. 

As a writer, I have created many shows for young audiences including The Amazing Adventures of Ariana Astronaut, an interactive play about a young girl with autism who dreams of traveling through space; My Hero, an epic tale about a group of young people marching to Washington and sharing their stories of who inspired them; and Goblin Secrets, a theatrical adaptation of the book by William Alexander. 

I have created two solo performances, Cordelia’s Fool, a clownish retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear; and Sing Me A Song, the story of a woman passing on the tradition of sharing songs in order to to keep her legacy alive. I am currently developing a new show, untitled as of yet, about an aging drag queen and her struggle to keep up with new trends and technologies.

I have been teaching theatre and performance for over twenty years. I have been a student of theatre and performance for even longer. I’ve been lucky enough to work in Shakespeare and classical theatre, ensemble, devised, immersive, and physical theatre. I work well without a fourth wall and love teaching others this skill. 

I have taught as a teaching artist, an artist in residence, an adjunct professor, a high school theatre and English teacher, a theatre camp director, and even an aide in a special needs classroom. 

I have worked for some of the biggest theatre companies in the country and co-created my own upstart company, dog & pony dc—a theatre collective that devised new work with a focus on incorporating the audience in new ways. In my 8+ years with the company, I was a part of the development of 10 shows, created the curricula for all of the workshops, residencies, and classes in DC and across the country. 

I received my MFA in Acting from The Catholic University of America and trained at the Dell’ Arte International School of Physical Theatre.

Things that I know:
Failure is always an option.

I like freedom to explore…

       and I like guidelines to work in.

I like big theatricality…

     that is honest and authentic.

I believe playwrights are…

artists

creators

catalysts

provocateurs