Bio
Taylor Sklenar is a science communication Lecturer at Iowa State University, playwright and producer with The EcoTheatre Lab, and Iowa Policy Lead with Climate Land Leaders. His writing explores the intersection of science, sustainability, and rural life, which informs his narrative-based approach to teaching science communication and public engagement at the university. Taylor sees theatre as a tool to open difficult dialogues around subjects like nuclear energy, climate change, plant genetics, and agricultural industrialization. His plays have been developed or produced across the Midwest and beyond. His most recent project, Resistance, was performed in nature centers, barns, and libraries, sparking lively conversations about herbicide resistance and drift in community spaces across Iowa. www.taylorsklenar.com
Courses
- ENGL 1500: Critical Thinking and Communication
- ENGL 2500: Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition
- ENGL 3120: Communicating Science and Public Engagement
- ENGL 3160: Playwriting Workshop
- JL MC 2600: Media Controversies in Science and Technology
Research Areas of Interest
- Playwriting and new play development. Focus: non-traditional structures and site-specific theatre.
- Dramatic literature. Focus: science on stage.
- Creative strategies for science communication. Focus: Climate communication in rural spaces, sustainable agriculture, risk assessment in energy and agriculture.
Selected Publications
Recent Productions:
“Baby I’ll Turn the Sky Green for You”, University of South Dakota, 2025
“Resistance”, Iowa Tour, 2025
“Baby I’ll Turn the Sky Green for You”, Theatre du Mississippi, 2024
“500/501”, Northwestern University/WAVE Production, 2024
“500/501”, Theatre du Mississippi, 2023
“Fission”, Owen’s Community College, 2022
Recent Publications:
“Alice in Quarantine (a Drive-Thru Adventure),” Next-Stage Press, 2021 (Co-published)
“In Fifth Grade I Have No Friends,” The Roadrunner Review, 2021
“Drainage,” Iowa Telepoem Booth, 2020
Recent Honors & Awards
Artist-in-Residence, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory (co-awarded to The Eco-Theatre Lab)
Winner, Marshalltown Playwrighting Competition, Resistance
Finalist, Earth Matters on Stage International Playwriting Award, Resistance
Awardee, Art Project Grant, Iowa Arts Council, Resistance: The Iowa Tour
Semi-Finalist, New Comedies Festival, B-Street Theatre, Superfun(d)!
Semi-Finalist, Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Competition, Decay Chain
Writer-in-Residence, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory
Recent Workshops:
“Theatre Tools for Environmental Storytelling,” 4-H Connect, 2025 (co-facilitated)
“Science Communication and Public Engagement,” Chemurgy 2.0 Symposium, 2025
“S(t)imulating Change, Creating Action,” Rise with WiSE, 2025 (co-facilitated)
“Telling Your Story: Creative Strategies for Talking Climate,” Climate Land Leaders, 2025
“Communicating Science through Creativity,” Reiman Gardens / SciComm Fellows Program, 2025
“Science Communication and Public Engagement,” Nano-Vaccine Institute, 2025
“Intro to Playwriting: The Art of Listening,” Theatre du Mississippi, 2024
“Collaborative Communication & Climate Change,” Reiman Gardens / Nature at Noon, 2024 (co-facilitated)
“How to Talk about Climate: Using Art and Storytelling to Move Communities toward Action,” Midwest Climate Summit, 2024 (co-facilitated)
Current Research Projects
Sklenar is currently researching and drafting a cycle of plays about the meat industry that explores the human (and non-human) impacts of industrial acceleration and the role hogs, in particular, play in Iowa’s social, economic, and environmental landscape.
He is also working on a re-envisioning of Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard within the context of modern agriculture’s pressures on small farmers.