Jessica Blank
Jessica Blank | |
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Born | New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
Occupations |
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Spouse |
Jessica Blank
Early life and education
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Blank there and in Washington, D.C. She attended Macalester College and the University of Minnesota.[citation needed]
Career
Acting
As an actress, Blank appeared regularly in CBS' "
Play writing and directing
Blank and Jensen co-wrote The Exonerated,[2] a play based on interviews they conducted with more than 40 exonerated death row inmates. In spring 2002, they co-directed The Exonerated at The Actors' Gang Theater.[3] That production was nominated for five Ovation Awards and three NAACP Awards, won the Ovation for Best World Premiere Play, and has toured universities nationally. The New York production of The Exonerated ran for more than 600 performances off-Broadway, toured nationally, and won the Outer Critics Circle, Lortel, and Drama Desk awards, as well as awards from Amnesty International, American Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and more.[4] It was adapted as a movie for Court TV starring Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, Aidan Quinn, and Susan Sarandon.[5] The play has been produced internationally in Dublin,[6] Edinburgh,[7] and London, in the United Kingdom;[8] and in Japan, Mexico, France, China, Thailand, Iran, and Italy. It has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, and Japanese. Blank and Jensen's book Living Justice (2005), a memoir about the making of "The Exonerated", was published by Simon & Schuster.[9]
Blank and Jensen also co-wrote the documentary play Aftermath, based on interviews they conducted in 2008 with Iraqi civilian refugees in Jordan. Blank directed Aftermath off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop; it was nominated for Drama League Awards and toured internationally for two years. They have a new documentary play under commission at The Public Theater with original music by Grammy-winning songwriter Steve Earle.
Their play, "How To Be A Rock Critic" (based on the writings of
"Liberty City," a play co-written by Blank and April Yvette Thompson, was produced Off-Broadway by New York Theatre Workshop in 2008, with Blank directing. It has toured to Miami and elsewhere. It was nominated for Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards, and won Chicago's Jeff award in 2015.
Blank and Jensen wrote "The Line" in 2020, which tells the story about New York City health-care workers fighting against COVID-19. The one-hour documentary-style production was directed by Blank, produced and presented by the Public, and streamed on YouTube until September 1, 2020.[11]
Other work
Blank's novel,
Her second novel, Karma For Beginners, was published by Hyperion in 2009.
Her third novel, Legacy, was published by Penguin in 2018. Her writing has also been published in magazines and journals including The Believer,[14] The Dramatist, Another Magazine, and Theatre History Studies.
Blank is also a coach for professional writers, a professor at Juilliard School, and a consultant and frequent speaker on story, neuroscience and social change.[15] Blank writes for television with Erik Jensen. In 2015, she wrote a pilot for "The Negotiator" for Gaumont International Television.
Personal life
In 2001, she married the actor, writer and director Erik Jensen.[citation needed] They frequently collaborate professionally, primarily as writing partners for theater, film and television.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Undermind | Saleslady / Carrie | |
2006 | The Namesake | Edith | |
2007 | On the Road with Judas | Choreographer | |
2012 | You're Nobody 'til Somebody Kills You | Felicia Roman | |
2015 | Creative Control | Lucy | |
2015 | #Horror | Mom | |
2016 | Cassanova Was a Woman | Dr. Weinstein | |
2016 | C Street | Senator Huxter | |
2017 | Police State | Beat Cop Davidson | |
2018 | After Everything | Monica | |
2018 | Slender Man | Hallie's Mother | |
2018 | Wetware | Virginia |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | One Life to Live | Mary Barnes | Episode #1.9195 |
2004 | Rescue Me | Gloria | Episode: "Inches" |
2004, 2007 | Guiding Light | Krista / Noelle | 2 episodes |
2005 | The Exonerated | Paula | Television film |
2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Sheila Dwyer | Episode: "Proud Flesh" |
2007 | The Bronx Is Burning | Darcy | Episode: "Past Combatants" |
2009 | Bored to Death | Miriam Thompson | Episode: "The Case of the Missing Screenplay" |
2012 | Made in Jersey | Deb Garretti Keenan | 6 episodes |
2013 | The Happy Mommy Hustle | Katie | Episode: "ADHD" |
2013 | The Mentalist | Carol Mathews | Episode: "Black-Winged Redbird" |
2014 | Good Medicine | Tina | 5 episodes |
2015 | Elementary | Tabitha Laird | Episode: "The One That Got Away" |
2015 | Blue Bloods | Heather Drake | Episode: "In the Box" |
2015 | The Following | Dr. Ann York | Episode: "Flesh & Blood" |
2016 | High Maintenance | Tali | Episode: "Tick" |
2017 | Shelter | Sarah Masters | Television film |
2020 | For Life | Kathy O'Reilly | Episode: "Witness" |
2020 | Ramy | Mary | Episode: "Bay'ah" |
2021 | Prodigal Son | Greta Swann | Episode: "Head Case" |
References
- ^ "Jessica Blank". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (2002-10-11). "THEATER REVIEW; Someone Else Committed Their Crimes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
- ^ exonerated Archived 2012-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Culture Project". Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ "monterey media: The Exonerated - DVD - Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ The Exonerated at Liberty Hall Theatre - 2006 (archive) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin[permanent dead link]
- ^ Gardner, Lyn (2005-08-11). "The Exonerated". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- ^ The British Theatre Guide: The Exonerated in London Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Simon & Schuster: Living Justice: Love, Freedom, and the Making of The Exonerated (Trade Paperback)
- ^ Petrusich, Amanda (9 January 2018). "Lester Bangs and the Soul of Rock Criticism". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
- ^ Schwartz, Alexandra (27 July 2020). "American Tragedy and Comedy, Streaming on YouTube". The New Yorker. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-4231-0642-5.
- ^ Hannah Marks, "Most Home Movie", Deadline, 11 November 2016
- ^ The Believer - Contributors: Jessica Blank
- ^ "one on one". Jessica Blank. Retrieved 2020-07-27.