Meet Our Mentors for 2026

Maje Adams

Maje Adams is a Nigerian-American singer-actor, director, multi-instrumentalist, sound designer, and playwright based in Minneapolis. Their diverse theatre artistry covers a plethora of genres and styles and has taken them to stages across the country. Most recently they assisted directed Between Riverside and Crazy at Park Square Theater. They also appeared in The Convert at the Gremlin Theater.

Laurie Flanigan Hegge

Laurie Flanigan Hegge is a playwright, lyricist and dramaturg. Her plays and musicals have been produced around the country and beyond. She has served as Artistic Associate at History Theater where she worked extensively on new play development and dramaturgy, has worked with BFA acting students at the University of Minnesota on best practices in new work development, and has taught playwrighting for young writers at Children’s Theater Company. She is currently the Twin Cities Regional Representative for the Dramatists Guild.

Gemma Irish

Gemma Irish is a playwright, dramaturg and educator. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Goddard College and is 2025/26 McKnight Fellow in playwriting at the Playwrights Center. Her plays have been seen at the Jungle Theater and the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Walking Shadow Theatre Company, and Normandale College. She has also served as a mentor to student playwrights at South High School, and the Saint Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts. www.gemmairish.com

Emma Y. Lai

Emma Y. Lai is a producer, director, dramaturg and playwright. She has directed at the Childrens Theatre and the Playwrights Center, assisted directed at the Guthrie and serves as Artistic Director of The Picnic Basket Theater. Ms Lai is affiliated with the National New Play Network and was a directing fellow at Theater Mu. www.emmaylai.com

Rachel Lynett

Rachel Lynett is a playwright, dramaturg and educator whose plays have been produced at theaters around the country including Florida Studio Theater, American Stage Company, Barrington Stage, the Kennedy Center, Orlando Shakespeare to name a few. In 2021 she was the recipient of the Yale Drama Prize and the 2021 recipient of the National Latinx Playwriting Award. Lynett was also a staff writer for a Netflix show in production and for The Winchesters.

Whitney Rowland

Whitney Rowland is a core writer for the Playwrights Center and was a 2024-25 McKnight Fellow. Her plays have been produced at the Pittsburgh New Works Festival, Minnesota Shorts Festival, Rochester Rep and she has work developed at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Ms. Rowland has taught at both the high school and college level.  She holds an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon.