Julie Whitney-Scott
director / playwright / poet / author /actor
"I write plays so that I can share with others the stories and characters that they may have never met or heard of in the space where they live."
Artist Bio
Julie Whitney-Scott (she, her, hers) is the founder and artistic director of Mine 4 God Productions and the Columbus Black Theater Festival. She is a published author, poet, playwright director and actor who produces and hosts two radio shows for WGRN.com/FM 91.9. Her short stories and poems have been published in magazines and anthologies in Ohio. She has been a freelance writer for the Columbus Free Press for more than 10 years. In addition to her radio shows and writing, Whitney-Scott has been writing and producing her original plays since 1984. She has also directed several plays including, in 2023, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and produced by Actors’ Theatre of Columbus; HOME by Samm-Art Williams and produced by State of the Arts Productions; and Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage and produced by JCC Gallery Players.
Whitney-Scott received the Central Ohio Theatre Roundtable Harold Award in 2019. and was also nominated for “Excellence in a Leading Role” the same year for her role of “Odessa” in Waiting to be Invited. Nominated for Best Leading Female Role by Broadway World for her role(s) in Diary of Recovering Daughters 2022 and was nominated for Community Partner Award by Central Ohio Theatre Roundtable in 2023. She is the vice president of the Central Ohio Theatre Roundtable (2021-2023). Whitney-Scott also volunteers her time teaching acting, playwriting and providing theater skills to young people and is a resident teaching artist for Columbus Children's Theater and a MadLab Theatre Young Writers Mentor for high school seniors. Julie Whitney-Scott is a member of the 2023 Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Navigators team and has received GCAC individual artist grants and a GCAC Big Ideas grant. Mine 4 God Productions has received two GCAC Project Support grants.
Artist Gallery
Artist Q & A
How do you describe your art and creative process?
I create plays and characters that demonstrate the common bonds that we have as people in order to give marginalized groups of people a chance to perform and share their stories.
What do you love about your art and/or art-making process?
I love working directly with people when I am directing a play, or when I am teaching young artists how to express themselves through words and actions on paper and on the stage. It is a joy to watch the confidence level in actors, of all ages, increase and to give them the encouragement needed that "you can do it" even though they are afraid.
What is something about you that people don’t know?
People may not know that I have a green thumb. I love to plant flowers and vegetables and watching them grow. I love to work in the dirt and find it relaxing to just sit outside on my deck and look at the things that I have grown. There's nothing like picking fresh food out of your own backyard and eating it.
Why do you write plays?
I write plays so that I can share with others the stories and characters that they may have never met or heard of in the space where they live.
How do you recharge and/or refine your artistic process?
I recharge my creative writing by attending community events where I meet other people, watch and listen to their conversations and ask questions about how they feel about current events and social issues.
I read and go to art shows, I work with other theater artists pro bono so that I can develop working relationships in the community and so that people get to know who I am and what I have to offer their artistic dreams and goals.