Craig Jessen is an award-winning writer and director whose work finds dark humor and emotional tenderness in unexpected places.
Craig has written and directed three independent feature films. A Promise of Time Travel is a quirky tragicomedy in which a seemingly chance encounter draws a bookstore clerk into a plot to steal a time machine. Beyond Methuselah follows a religious family torn apart when a medical treatment promises immortality. His newest film, The End of Sex, adapted from his stage play of the same name, is currently in post-production.
As a playwright, Craig’s work has been produced across the country and recognized with the Tim Robbins Playwriting Award and the Chameleon Theatre Circle New Play Award. Productions include Flowers Until Sunrise in New York, Pylon in Portland, Midnight Requisition in Los Angeles, and the world premiere of The End of Sex at Theatre Vertigo.
As a theater director, Craig has staged Shakespeare, new works, and symphony collaborations.
The son of Argentine and Puerto Rican immigrants, Craig grew up navigating multiple cultural identities. That experience helped shape an enduring fascination with people caught between worlds, trying to define themselves and find a place to belong.
Craig teaches playwriting, directing, and script analysis in Southern Oregon University’s Master of Theatre Studies program, working with theater educators from across the country.