Dr. John D. Newman — is a professor of theatre at Utah Valley University and the Director of the Theatre for Youth and Education (TYE) Center, and currently serves as Chair of the Theatre Department. He lives with his family in Sandy City, Utah. Dr. Newman became the first recipient of the Reba R. Robertson Award from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America. At UVU, Dr. Newman has directed such plays as The Secret Garden, Princess Academy, and Androcles and the Lion in the Bastian Theatre. He has also served as the director of the Noorda Theatre Summer Camp and has produced or co-produced touring productions including A Village Fable, The Princess and the Goblin, Honk!, and Pedro’s Magic Shoes. As a playwright, he has adapted scripts for Newbery medalists including Avi, Paul Fleischman, and Richard Peck. Newman taught and directed at Highland High School for eighteen years, from 1991 to 2010 with a sabbatical to Texas in 1998-99. He served as Artistic Director of the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts during the 2009-2010 school year. Newman earned his B.F.A. and M.Ed. from the University of Utah, his M.A. from the University of Texas, and his Ph.D. from New York University. With Judy Matetzschk-Campbell, he co-authored Tell Your Story: The Plays and Playwriting of Sandra Fenichel Asher, and his book Playwriting in Schools: Dramatic Navigation received the 2020 Distinguished Book Award from the American AATE. Dr. Newman chairs the Playwrights In Our Schools Project and served three years on the board of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. Sandy and the Weird Sisters, his first novel, has been followed by 2 sequels, Sandy and the Dance of Faith and Clara and the Mermaids. His stand-alone young reader’s story, Make-Believe Twins is also published by Leicester Bay Books.
Dr. Newman has been honored with a SPECIAL AWARD by the Utah Theatre Association for his dedicated service to Utah Theatre Education (High School and College/University)
PLAYS
- All’s Well That Ends Well (Adaptation) (Leicester Bay Theatricals)
- Awakening Galatea (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See Five Selected Plays, below)
- Crowns and Commoners (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See Five Selected Plays, below)
- DeGruchy’s Mantle (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See FOUR PLAYS by J.D. Newman, below)
- The Doctor In Spite of Himself (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See Six of One, below)
- Gathering Grimm (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See: Noorda Theatre Youth Plays below)
- The Gypsy Tree (Coming Soon to Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See FOUR PLAYS by J.D. Newman, below)
- Land of Oz (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See FOUR PLAYS by J.D. Newman, below)
- Liberation [1-act] (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See Five Selected Plays, below)
- The Man Behind The Curtain • L. Frank Baum (Leicester Bay Theatricals)
- Much Ado About Nothing (adaptation) (Leicester Bay Theatricals)
- Olympus On the Moon [1-act] (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See Five Selected Plays, below)
- Puzzles (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See Five Selected Plays, below)
- The Sandy Hunter Saga — Plays of Coming of Age for Girls (see also please, The Sandy Hunter Saga-below)
- Sandy and the Weird Sisters Episode 1 in the Sandy Hunter Saga (Leicester Bay Theatricals)
- Sandy and the Dance of Faith Episode 2 in the Sandy Hunter Saga (Leicester Bay Theatricals)
- Clara and the Mermaids (Multi-venue version, including Zoom and Live) Episode 3 in the Sandy Hunter Saga (Leicester Bay Theatricals)
- Clara and the Mermaids (Radio Play version) Episode 3 in the Sandy Hunter Saga (Leicester Bay Theatricals)
- Clara and the Mermaids (Theatrical version) Episode 3 in the Sandy Hunter Saga (Leicester Bay Theatricals) COMING SOON
- Superpowers (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See: Noorda Theatre Youth Plays below)
- The Yearning Season (Leicester Bay Theatricals) (See FOUR PLAYS by J.D. Newman, below)
BOOKS
- NOORDA THEATRE YOUTH PLAYS — Five Age-Appropriate Scripts for Young Actors
- The Sandy Hunter Saga: Plays of Coming of Age for Girls Volume 12 in the Theatre for Young Audiences Series (COMING SOON)
- Four plays by J.D. Newman for Teen Actors and Audiences: Volume 7 of The Theatre for Young-Audiences Series
- 5 Selected Plays of J.D. Newman: Book 13 of The Playwrights on the Page Series
- Six of One — Six Plays for Young Actors and Audiences (Volume 4 of The Theatre For Young Audiences SERIES)
NOVELS
Sandy and the Weird Sisters BOOK 1 in the Sandy Hunter Saga (now a play with its premiere at The Open Eye Theatre in Margaretville, NY in October 2016)
Sandy and the Dance of Faith BOOK 2 in the Sandy Hunter Saga is coming in 2021
Clara and the Mermaids BOOK 3 in the Sandy Hunter Saga is coming in 2021
Make-Believe Twins: A Best Friends Story
OTHER Plays:
- Whirligig (adapted from Paul Fleischman’s novel) Rights Unavailable.
- Here Lies the Librarian (adapted from Richard Peck’s novel) Rights Unavailable.
- A Year Down Yonder (adapted from Richard Peck’s novel) Rights Unavailable.
- Princess Academy (adapted from Shannon Hale’s novel) Rights Unavailable.
- The Voyage of the Bassett (adapted from the illustrated story book of James C. Christensen) Rights Unavailable.
- The Secret School (adapted from Avi’s novel) Dramatic Publishing
- The Winter’s Tale (adapted and edited from Shakespeare) Eldridge Plays and Musicals
- The Tempest (adapted and edited from Shakespeare) Eldridge Plays and Musicals