Janine Sobeck Knighton is an award-winning, nationally produced dramaturg, playwright, screenwriter, story consultant, and educator. Originally from Central California, Janine is currently based outside of Salt Lake City, UT.

Janine’s professional career started at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. As Arena’s full-time Literary Manager, Dramaturg, and Producer of New Works, she enjoyed working with some of the country’s greatest artists, including Pam McKinnon, Kenny Leon, Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt, Phylicia Rashad, Edward Albee, Marcus Gardley, Karen Zacarias, Artistic Director Molly Smith, and more, in creating new plays and reimagining American classics. She continues to work around the country as a freelance dramaturg. Currently, Janine is currently working on Little Piece of You: An Atypical Musical with story by Melissa Leilani Larson and original songs by Kjersti Long and Jeremy Long, which will enjoy a concert performance at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London in October 2024.

Janine also loves to create her own stories. An award-winning, nationally and internationally-produced playwright, her plays have been developed and/or produced at Westport Country Playhouse, Ghostlight Ensemble, Kibo Productions at Baron’s Court Theatre, Cellunova, Purple Crayon Players, Plan B Theatre, Lumos Players, Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, An Other Theatre Company, Brigham Young University, and Utah Valley University. She is a member of the Writing Lab at Plan-b Theatre. She is also the showrunner/head writer for two web series, Backstage Bernie and An Open Letter to Isabella Beck, which can be found on the JSK Stories YouTube Channel.

Janine’s plays can be found on the New Play Exchange.

Beyond the stage, Janine is currently a 2024 Fred Rogers Writers’ Neighborhood Fellow and a Second Round finisher for the 2024 Austin Film Festival. She is also the host of the storytelling podcast, Once Upon a Weirdo, where she explores fairytales and folktales through the perspective of the characters who are often overlooked, forgotten, or misunderstood.

Janine also works with screenwriters in developing several different new screenplays. Freetown was produced in 2014 and Jane and Emma was produced in 2018.

Currently the Associate Professor of Playwriting and Dramaturgy at Utah Valley University, Janine continues to work while developing the voices of the next generation. Her love for theatre and film education led to the creation of JSK Stories, a production company and website focused on creating a community dedicated to telling stories, arts education, and providing a platform for kids and teenagers to share their creative work in a safe, online environment.

You can find Janine on:

Instagram: @janinesobeckknighton

Substack: Once Upon a Weirdo

LinkedIn: Janine Sobeck Knighton

Threads: @janinesobeckknighton

New Play Exchange: Janine Sobeck Knighton