New Artist Cohorts Announced
The Jungle is proud to announce members of its new artistic cohort, made up by a variety of local players in the Twin Cities Arts Scene including: Sequoia Hauck (Filmmaker/Director), JuCoby Johnson (Playwright/Actor), James Rodríguez (Actor/Dramaturg), and Angela Timberman (Director/Actor).
On April 20, 2021 the Jungle Theater announced the establishment of a new artistic cohort leadership and development model under Artistic Director Christina Baldwin. With this new model, the Jungle hopes to bridge the divide between theater authority figures and artists by fostering growth, providing mutual aid, and expanding diversity and the range of voices shaping the future of the Jungle.
Now, these four independent artists have been chosen to take part in this new model. As a member of the cohort leadership, each will be added to the Jungle’s year-round staff and given full access to the theater’s decision-making process, including show selection, budget creation and overall management. They will also envision and create supplementary material for the Jungle’s next season, while receiving financial and production resources from the theater to support their own independent projects.
Sequoia Hauck
she/they, Filmmaker/Director
Sequoia Hauck is a Native (Anishinaabe/Hupa) queer multidisciplinary artist based in the Twin Cities on the stolen and ancestral Dakota lands of the Wahpeton, Mdewakantonwon, Wahpekute, and Sisseton. Sequoia's focus is on creating theater, film, poetry, and performance art that decolonizes the process of art-making. They are a graduate from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a B.A. in American Indian Studies. They make art surrounding the narratives of continuation and resiliency among her communities. Sequoia has worked on and offstage with organizations such as Aniccha Arts, Art Shanty Projects, Exposed Brick Theatre, Māoriland, An Opera Theatre (AOT), Pangea World Theater, Patrick's Cabaret, Poetry and Pie, The Southern Theater, and Turtle Theater Collective. They recently directed a nationwide opera with AOT, The Sky Where You Are, and a project fronted by Decameron Opera Coalition called, Tales from a Safe Distance featuring nine world premiere one-act operas. Sequoia’s documentary, Never Turn Your Back to the Wave: The Travis Jordan Story was in the 2021 Mpls-St. Paul International Film Festival. www.sequoiahauck.com
“I look forward to being a part of the Jungle in this cohort and sharing my experience in various aspects of theater and film.”
JuCoby Johnson
he/him, Playwright/Actor
JuCoby Johnson grew up in Jacksonville, FL, moved to the Twin Cities in 2011 and has been creating there ever since. He has been seen onstage at The Guthrie Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Theater Mu, Ten Thousand Things Theatre Company, and many more. His plays include How It's Gon Be (Underdog Theater, 2019), ...but you could've held my hand (Developed at the 2020 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference), 5 (2021 O'Neill NPC Finalist, Seven Devils Finalist), I'll Be Seeing You Again (Jungle Serial Audio Series, 2021) and Revelations (Playing On Air, 2021). He is a 2021-2022 McKnight Fellow in Playwriting and a graduate of the University of MN/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program.
“I'm excited to further deepen my relationship with the Jungle and help to continue creating work that expands the Jungle audience.”
James Rodríguez
he/him, Actor/Dramaturg
James Rodríguez is a Twin Cities based theatre artist. He’s extremely grateful that for the last 15 years he’s had the privilege to work with so many of the amazing companies in our rich theater community, including Theater Latté Da, Dark & Stormy Productions, Yellow Tree Theatre, Pillsbury House + Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theater Company, Mixed Blood Theatre, and Frank Theatre among many others. Over the last few years, he’s had the joy of performing in and developing a handful of plays at The Jungle Theater, including 2 world premieres (Little Women, The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley). He is excited and truly honored to be joining the Jungle in a deeper capacity.
“I think what I love the most about The Jungle Theater is the sense of compassion and heart that go into the work they produce. In my opinion, the artistry and precision you see on stage at The Jungle are a direct result of the care and trust that are given to everyone involved. This makes the Jungle one of the most exciting theaters in the Twin Cities. I look forward to bringing my whole self to the Jungle and helping foster an even stronger future of compelling work that reflects the whole of our complex and beautiful human experiences.”
Angela Timberman
she/her, Director/Actor
Angela Timberman has been a part of the Twin Cities theater community for the past 30 years. As an actor, she has performed at the Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, Park Square Theatre, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, History Theatre, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Illusion Theater, Workhaus Collective, Playwright’s Center, Artistry, Minnesota Fringe Festival, and Jungle Theater. She has been a member of Actor’s Equity Association for 31 years. Her directing credits include productions at Park Square Theatre, Artistry, Lyric Arts, and Yellow Tree Theatre. She is a crew member at Trader Joe’s store #710, which is also a theatre experience of sorts. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, actor/musician Jay Albright, and their two sons.
"This pandemic has made us examine who we are as human beings and who we are as artists. If we don't have community we don't have a chance to survive as either. I hope this new team that Christina has assembled, that I am so fortunate to be a part of, takes chances, makes mistakes, listens, and inspires. Theater is hard, even when it's not, but every project gives us an opportunity to understand who we are as human beings. That's why I love it."