Jeff Helgeson – Playwright, Author, Arts Journalist, Actor/Producer & University Lecturer

Jeff Helgeson – Playwright, Author, Arts Journalist, Actor/Producer & University Lecturer

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Having grown up in the Nelson Algren-Saul Bellow area of Chicago’s northwest side, Jeff Helgeson is a graduate of The University of Chicago and the author of more than fifteen plays which have been produced in Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and New York. He is also the author of a novel titled Thresholds and numerous short stories. Originally concentrating on fiction, he began writing for the stage following a correspondence with motion picture actor Kirk Douglas in which, after suggesting an idea for a film, he was invited to submit a screenplay to Mr. Douglas’ agent. Eventually adapting that script to the stage, he was commissioned to write an adaptation of Bret Hart’s “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by a local theatre company, and then received commissions for additional scripts.

As a result, Jeff Helgeson wrote five full-length plays that were produced in Chicago area theatres. He then became a founding member of The Chicago Alliance of Playwrights and has been the drama chairman for The Society of Midwest Authors, as well as an awards panelist for The City of Chicago Arts Council. He has also served on the advisory boards of the Joseph Jefferson Award winning Boxer Rebellion Theater Ensemble and Backstage Theatre.

Jeff Helgeson has taught at Columbia College, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Robert Morris College, Roosevelt University, and St. Augustine College.

As an outgrowth of his university teaching and long-standing commitment to the liberal arts, Helgeson established Collage Productions as a means of providing affordable access to the visual and performing arts.

Jeff Helgeson has been a regular contributor to the publication of The Chicago Arts Coalition, and, for over ten years, he was the administrative advisor to Roosevelt University’s literary magazine, The Oyez Review. He has produced and/or directed plays by both Emmy Award winning broadcast journalist Gera-Lynn Kolarik and Poetry Slam founder Marc Smith. He has also appeared on both radio and television broadcasts to discuss projects presented by Collage Productions.

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