Charissa Menefee

Bio

Dr. Charissa Menefee, Professor Emerita, is the founder and artistic director of The EcoTheatre Lab. A multi-genre writer and theatre artist, her research and creative practice focus on the intersection and interplay of writing, performance, and environmental and social justice issues. She is the author of “When I Stopped Counting: Poems” and co-editor, with Hillary Haft Bucs, of “Embodied Playwriting: Improv and Acting Exercises for Writing and Devising” (Routledge). More information about her original scripts, as well as her work as a director, producer, dramatist, and performer can be found on the New Play Exchange and her website. Her poetry can be found in literary journals (including Plainsongs, Gramercy Review, Pirene’s Fountain, Switchgrass Review, Footnote, Adanna, Poets Reading the News, and Terrene), anthologies, and Telepoem Booths. She has been a writer-in-residence for the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s New American Playwrights Project and Fairhope Center for the Writing Arts, as well as a Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and an artist-in-residence at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. Recent directing projects include a touring production of “Climate Change Theatre Action,” “Code Red: Faith,” a short film, and the New Play Lab at the William Inge Theatre Festival.

At Iowa State, she has co-directed the MFA Program in Creative Writing & Environment, and she taught courses in creative writing, literature, performance studies, and theatre. She designed and led a study abroad course and an honors seminar, and also designed new courses in scriptwriting, eco-theatre, writing as performance, game writing, citizen artistry, and reading and writing apocalyptic literature. She is a past president of the Humanities Iowa board of directors and sings with the Ames Chamber Artists.

Research areas

• Writing for Stage and Screen, New Play Development, Dramaturgy, Historical Drama, Writing for New Media and Games
• Eco-Theatre, Acting and Directing, Comedy, Performance Studies, Artistic Leadership
• Dramatic Literature, Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Literature, Poetry, Women’s Literature, Young Adult and Children’s Literature and Drama

Recent publications and productions

• “Wriggle.” Poetry. North Coast Voices: An Anthology. 2026.
• “Jonah and the Flood.” Drama. In Our Backyard: A New Eco-Play Festival. 2026.
• “Jonah and the Flood.” Drama. States of Play Series. 2026.
• “Re-entry.” Poetry. Gramercy Review, 2025.
• “Does It Have to End This Way?” Book chapter. In The Playwright’s Toolbox. Ed. Justin Maxwell. Applause Books, 2024.
• “Embodied Playwriting: Improv and Acting Exercises for Writing and Devising.” Book. Co-Editor w/Hillary Haft Bucs. Routledge, 2023.
• “The Meet and Greet: Creating Opportunities for Surprise and Discovery.” Book chapter. In Embodied Playwriting: Improv and Acting Exercises for Writing and Devising. Ed. Menefee/Bucs. Routledge, 2023.
• “Aerial.” Poetry Series. In Telling Tales: Exploring Narrative Art in the Permanent Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, 2023.
• “Slobber and Snarl.” Drama. In Ludlow Charlington’s Doghouse. Crawdance Productions, 2022.
• “Alien.” Poetry. Switchgrass Review. 2022.
• “Hovering.” Poetry. Switchgrass Review. 2022.
• “Entrances and Exits.” Poetry. Switchgrass Review. 2022.
• “Marked Cards.” Drama. States of Play Series. 2022.
• “Slobber and Snarl.” Drama. Chicago’s YippieFest. 2022.
• “Slobber and Snarl.” Drama. Tamale Hut Café. 2022.
• “Here Today.” In On the Horizon. Iowa State Theatre, 2021.
• “Alice in Quarantine.” Drama. Co-author w/Tiffany Antone et al. Next Stage Press, 2021.
• “In action: addressing the climate crisis through community-focused performance.” Case study. Co-author w/Vivian M. Cook. Undergraduate Research in Theatre: A Guide for Students. Routledge, 2021.
• “Tiny Portraits of Men.” Poetry. Pirene’s Fountain. 2021.
• “Promotion.” Drama. Anchorage Community Theatre. 2020.
• “You Came Back.” Drama. Anchorage Community Theatre. 2020.
• “Theatre as Action is Theatre in Action: CCTA On Campus and Off.” Essay. Lighting the Way: An Anthology of Short Plays about the Climate Crisis. 2020.
• “Sentry.” Creative nonfiction. Telepoem Booth: Missed Calls and Other Poetry. 2020.
• “To a Young Mother.” Poetry. Telepoem Booth: Missed Calls and Other Poetry. 2020.
• “The Poet Parents.” Poetry. Plainsongs. 2020.
• “Get the Story.” Poetry. Footnote: A Literary Journal of History. 2020.
• “To a Young Mother.” Poetry. Iowa Telepoem Booth, 2020.
• “Reading the Paper, Post 9/11.” Poetry. Iowa Telepoem Booth, 2020
• “Dollface.” Poetry. Iowa Telepoem Booth, 2020.
• “My Grandmother Dreams She Is Sewing.” Poetry. Surprised by Joy, e-book edition, 2020.
• “Moving the Vase.” Poetry. Surprised by Joy, e-book edition, 2020.
• “Joy.” Poetry. Surprised by Joy, e-book edition, 2020.
• “My Parents Meet.” Poetry. Surprised by Joy, e-book edition, 2020.
• “Grounds for Play.” Drama. Some Scripts Literary Magazine, 2019.
• “Report Card.” Poetry. Poets Reading the News. 2019.
• “Visions of Tragedy in Modern American Drama.” Review essay. Theatre History Studies, 2019.
• “Future Stores.” Poetry. The Wild Word. 2019.
• “The Poet Ponders Porridge.” Poetry. The Wild Word. 2019.
• “Sarah’s Poem.” Drama. Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival, 2019.
• “Paid Off.” Drama. In 45’s 24. Theatre Unbound, 2019.
• “Family.” Drama. The Factory Theatre, 2019.
• “Family.” Drama. Lakewood Playhouse, 2019.
• “Family.” Drama. Phoenix Theatre, 2019.
• “Family.” Drama. Focal Theatre Lab/The EcoTheatre Lab, 2019.
• “Take Cover.” Drama. Focal Theatre Lab/The EcoTheatre Lab, 2019.