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Jennifer Engstrom
Jen lived the first ten years of her life on a hog farm
in Huxley, Iowa. Eschewing both the rural life and her grandpa's
fervent wish to see her wed a republican, Jen set her sights
on the big city, and when she turned 18, she moved to Chicago
with stars in her eyes.
Jen caught the eye of many while starring as the libidinous
octogenarian Cheetah Bee in the smash hit The Fastest
Clock in the Universe here at A Red Orchid. Since then,
she has appeared in Kimberly Akimbo and The
Hothouse. With Famous Door Theatre she earned critical
praise in The Great Society with the Chicago Sun-Times
dubbing her performance "the shrewdest, most darkly
comic performance you may see all season."
Her work at Northlight Theatre was rewarded with the Jack
Springer Award for Best Actress in Sky Girls by
Jenny Laird. Other roles include Jill Yardley in Brett Neveu's
Eric LaRue here at A Red Orchid, April Green in
Hot l Baltimore at Mary-Arrchie (directed by David
Cromer), Shirl in Defiant Theatre's The Flaming Guns
of the Purple Sage, as well as both The Incident
and Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been... at Next
Theatre which garnered Jeff Awards for Best Ensemble. In
2001, Jen traveled to London with Steppenwolf Theatre's
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest starring Gary Sinise.
Jen's long and often unfortunate affinity for Dorothy Parker
led her to compose a "live literature" series,
bringing to life a series of Mrs. Parker's most beloved
monologues. Rick Kogan of WGN Radio called her performance
at Davenport Cabaret Bar, "a revelation" and deemed
its viewing "essential for those with a soul."
Jen is inspired by A Red Orchid Theatre and is honored to
be a part of it.
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