Jane Martin is the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of a playwright who has been active from 1981 to the present, whose real identity remains unknown. Martin's plays include ''Anton in Show Business'', ''Back Story'', ''Beauty'', ''Coup/Clucks'', ''

Cementville ''Cementville'' is a 1991 dark comedy play written by Jane Martin, a Pulitzer-nominated author. It premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays on 1991. The work has also been republished in several collections of modern American plays. ...

'', ''Criminal Hearts'', ''

Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage ''Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage'' is a sadistic satirical play by Jane Martin. Synopsis Big 8, a rodeo competitor, is facing foreclosure on the Wyoming ranch where she rehabilitates injured rodeo cowboys. The arrival of a shocking woman named Sh ...

'', ''Vital Signs'', ''

Keely and Du ''Keely and Du'' is a theatrical play by Jane Martin. The play centers on Keely, a rape victim who became pregnant from a sexual assault and is being held captive by an extremist anti-abortion cult to prevent her from terminating the pregnancy, and ...

'' and '' Talking With...'' Martin's ''Keely and Du'' won the 1994 American Theater Critics Association New Play Award and was a finalist for the 1994 Pulitzer Prize. Martin has been a longtime collaborator of former Actors Theatre of Louisville artistic director Jon Jory, who has directed the premieres of all of Martin's plays and serves as Martin's occasional spokesman. For this reason, Martin is often speculated to be Jory himself, or a collaboration between Jory and his wife, playwright Marcia Dixcy."A Two Decade Old Mystery: Who is Jane Martin?"
/ref>NPR - ''Who is Jane Martin?''
/ref> Jory has refused to divulge any information about Martin, other than that they are a native of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, and that "whoever writes these plays feels that they would be unable to write them" if their identity were revealed. Other theories about Martin's identity include former Actors Theatre of Louisville executive director Alexander Speer, former Actors Theatre literary manager Michael Bigelow Dixon, and former intern Kyle John Schmidt.

Publications

* With Michael Bigelow Dixon: Jane Martin Collected Plays. Volume II, 1996-2001. Contemporary playwrights series. yme, NH Smith and Kraus, 2001. .

References

External links

List of Jane Martin's works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Jane American dramatists and playwrights Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Pseudonymous writers Unidentified people Writers from Kentucky