Who Is John Olive?

John Olive is a widely-produced and award-winning playwright.His plays include Standing on my Knees, Minnesota Moon, The Voice of the Prairie, Evelyn and the Polka King, Killers, The Summer Moon, The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, Careless Love, God Fire, and Singapore. He's had his works produced at such prestigious theaters as the Manhattan Theatre Club, Old Globe, Steppenwolf, Wisdom Bridge, South Coast Rep, Alley Theater, the Guthrie, Actors Theatre Of Louisville, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, ACT/Seattle. 

Playwright John Olive

Lately, he has written extensively in the area of Theater For Young Audiences for Seattle Childrens, the Arden, Peoples Light, First Stage Milwaukee, Oregon Childrens, among others. Plays include  Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Johnny Tremain, Jason and the Golden Fleece, The Magic Bicycle, Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire, and Water Babies. He is currently working on an adaptation of Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s The Sisters Eight.

Awards include: a Jerome Fellowship, three McKnight Fellowships, a National Endowment For The Arts Fellowship, two Bush Fellowships, the Society of Midland Authors Award For Drama (Standing on my Knees), Kennedy Center Award For New Plays (The Summer Moon), and a Rockefeller Residency (Wisdom Bridge). John has written screen and teleplays for: Disney, Amblin Entertainment, ShadowCatcher Entertainment, Yorktown Productions, Lorimar Television, among others. His screenplay A Slaying Song Tonight has just been finished.

Mr. Oliver's book about bedtime stories, Tell Me A Story In The Dark, will be published shortly by Familius. John has two YA novels going: Smartass and Deep River (in collaboration with David Grant). Audiobooks based on Johns novellas will shortly be available. John writes reviews and essays for HowWasTheShow.com and does voice acting through Talent Poole.

Husband to Mary, father to Michael, Mr. Oliver lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is currently a core writer at the Playwright's Center in Minneapolis.