heidi armbruster

Heidi is a theater artist dedicated to creating new work and discovering new approaches to classical literature and theater. Heidi’s play “Murder Girl” will receive its world premiere in the 2024 season at Forward Theater in Madison, Wisconsin after workshops at Forward Theater, Third Avenue Playhouse, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Red Caravan and The Playwriting Collective. Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival commissioned Heidi to adapt the novel “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” by Agatha Christie, which received its world premiere in their 2024 season after workshops in its summer development program. Heidi’s solo show “Scarecrow” received its world premiere in the summer of 2022 at Dorset Theatre Festival directed by Dina Janis and made its midwest premiere in Next Act Theatre’s 2024 season directed by Laura Gordon. “Mrs. Christie” received its west coast premiere at Theatreworks Silicon Valley in the fall of 2023, after receiving its world premiere at Dorset Theatre Festival in 2019. Both productions were directed by Giovanna Sardelli after developmental workshops at Primary Stages. “Mrs. Christie” was also developed at residencies at The Orchard Project in 2016 and 2018. “Dairyland” was premiered at Playmakers Rep in the fall of 2019 under the direction of Vivienne Benesch after being workshopped at Playhouse on Park, Primary Stages ESPADrills, The Lark, Red Fern Theater, Luna Stage, and was selected as the New Play Workshop at The Chautauqua Theater Festival in 2014, directed by Lisa Rothe. Heidi was a member of Space on Ryder Farm’s Working Farm and a member of the 2021-2022 cohort of I73 at Page 73. As an actress, Heidi has extensive theater, film, and TV credits. MFA from ACT in San Francisco. Heidi splits her time between Brooklyn and Milwaukee. She lives with her partner Greg and their cats Martin and Daisy.

WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Website: http://heidiarmbruster.com
FB: heidiarmbruster
TW: heidiarmbruster
IG: heidiarmbruster

MORE ABOUT ME
I love murder mysteries, the State of Wisconsin, and the art and chaos of a dysfunctional chosen family. My plays pinball through these themes and landscapes, but my litmus test for writing characters, building worlds, and making plays is always: Would I want to be in this? Would I want to design this? Would I want to sit through this? I believe wholeheartedly in artistic citizenship and feel that a play should serve and heal its community of artists and audience. As a result, my plays rely on language, theatricality, and offer robust roles for actors, especially women, and women "of a certain age." I claim to be a member of "the church of compassionate curiosity." My belief in curiosity is the driving force behind my writing. I write plays to answer the questions that arise in my own life, and I continue to write plays in hopes that they reach across the footlights with compassion, kindness, and empathy to offer the beginnings of a conversation with the audience. I came of age as an artist acting on regional stages around the country and grew to love and appreciate audiences. I want to make plays that provide multiple points of entry for audiences, that don’t speak down to or alienate audience members, but instead provide access to conversations, ideas, themes, and feelings that audiences may choose to engage with while having an enjoyable night out at the theater.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON
I'm starting a commission for Next Act Theater for the World Premiere Wisconsin initiative about the Ringling Brothers and the birth of the circus in Wisconsin.

KEYWORDS
​Buddhist, Hindu, Family, Children, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Political ,Nature, Animals, Food, People of Color, Equality, Pandemic, Climate, Environmental, Historical, Adaptations, Fable/folktales, Immersive/site- specific, satire, biography, fantasy, science fiction, radio plays, verse, musical, horrors, period, Young Audiences, farce, holiday