ABOUT ME
Education & Experience
Kelby Siddons is a lover of theater and words who was primarily raised and currently based in Jacksonville, Florida.
Kelby graduated cum laude from Northwestern University in 2010 with specialties in Shakespeare, Theatre for Young Audiences, and playwriting. Volunteering and interning in Evanston and CHicago theater and working within the Animate Arts minor at NU, she further developed her skills in sound, graphic, and publicity design skills.
While she was still an undergraduate, Kelby was a finalist in Manhattan Theatre Club's ten-minute play competition, commissioned by the Milwaukee Rep to write a touring one-act, and founded the nationally recognized PLAYground TYA development festival while serving on the executive board of Purple Crayon Players, which is now in its tenth year.
Since graduating, she has taught secondary school theater and English, won playwriting competitions and commissions, mounted readings in Chicago and New York, published for young performers, and continued to direct, design, and act for the theater. She draws inspiration from history, literary, and innovative, interactive staging.
PLAYS BY KELBY SIDDONS
WAR PAINT: A SUMMER CAMP STORY
one act 9 roles for young actors (3 M, 4 F, 2 M/F)
On the last night of camp, flashlights cuts through the dark as kids sneak into the woods for a game of "War Paint", a painted version of capture the flag. The stakes--for romance, redemption, and remembrance--become higher than ever when a ghostly voice cuts across time and into the night.
This play was first commissioned by the Episcopal School of Jacksonville and was published in the anthology Piper Plays: Smart Plays for Young Performers.
FROM FATHER TO SON: AN ODYSSEY
full-length flexible ensemble show based on Homer's The Odyssey
When Athena, goddess of wisdom, arrives with news of Odysseus' return after a twenty year absence, his son Telemachus doubts whether he wants to know or is ready to help his father take back Ithaca. Through the magic of the gods, Telemachus is able to step into his father's sandals and experience the many twists and turns of the journey home. But will Telemachus ever feel like his father's son?
This piece was first commissioned by the Episcopal School of Jacksonville.
LIFTED
2 F / 1 M touring one-act for teen audiences
Kavyala loves her neighborhood school though it's soldiering through hard times; Gabriel hates attending this school since his family's fallen on hard times. When the principle accepts a corporate sponsorship with the energy drink "Lift" to solve the school's financial woes, there are consequences and choices for each student.
This play was commissioned by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and inspired by August Wilson's Radio Golf. It originally toured the Milwaukee area as "Slammed".
MADAME BONAPARTE
based on the book Wondrous Beauty by Carol Berkin
A full-length costume drama for nine or more performers, this piece follows the life of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, America's first bonafide female celebrity and wife of Napoleon's younger brother. The Kim Kardashian of her time, "Betsy" leveraged sex appeal, wit, emotional intelligence, and international politics to carve her path as a woman alone from 19th century Baltimore all the way to imperial France.
This play was first commissioned by Players by the Sea of Jacksonville Beach, Florida for their inaugural New Voices program.
OFF THE COUCH
10 minute play for 2 M
Will two gamers have the courage to get off the couch and live their lives before the world ends?
This play was a finalist in the Manhattan Theatre Club and Dentyne Gum's REALationships Playwriting Competition, which was centered around the theme of making face time.
XOTCHIL: THE STORY OF A PRINCESS AN A PEA
Touring Bilingual Adaptation of The Princess and the Pea 2 M / 2 F
Commissioned by Express Children's Theater in Houston, Texas, this Spanish and English language adaptation of The Princess and the Pea follows the Spanish crown prince to the New World in search of a bride that will live up to the Queen Mother's expectations for grace and sensitivity. But what if he falls for a native girl with other qualities, like bravery and intelligence?
WOMEN'S WORK
a site-specific, immersive three-act journey for 3 F / 1 M
"Are we looking at this art as work, or 'women's work'?" Take class alongside college freshmen Thalia, Riley, and Alex as they debate art, identity, and purpose during "Special Topics in Art: Louise Nevelson and Her Legacy".
This piece was commissioned by Phase Eight Theater Company for the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville's exhibit "A Dark Place of Dreams".