About the Artist
Janet Stanford was the Founding Artistic Director of Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD, and is recognized as a national leader in Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) who commissioned 60 new works for the field, introduced Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) to the USA, and reached non-traditional audiences with social justice themes.
Janet has directed over 60 plays and musicals for Imagination Stage, other TYA companies, colleges and small professional theatres. Four of her productions have been nominated for Helen Hayes Outstanding Theatre for Young Audiences Awards and she has twice been nominated for the Outstanding Director Award, Resident Musical. Janet is also an experienced arts educator and has been adjunct faculty at Catholic, American and Georgetown Universities as well as Goucher and Mount Vernon Colleges. In addition, Janet won many travel grants in order to find inspiration and talent for original projects. Her visits to Scandinavia, Europe, Asia and South America led to work with international playwrights, theatre companies and guest artists. In the USA, she also led collaborations with Seattle and Charlotte Children’s theatres and The Washington Ballet.
Janet’s plays are published by Samuel French Ltd., Dramatic Publishing, and Plays for New Audiences. She is the 2017 winner of the Harold Oaks Award for Excellence and Innovation in TYA, and the recipient of the 2024 Imagine Award for Lifetime Achievement as well as Adventure Theatre's inaugural Visionary Award 2024.
