Barret O’Brien, Language Arts Teacher

Barret O’Brien is a writer, actor, and educator.  His plays have been performed in states across the country including New York, Louisiana, Texas, Connecticut, Montana, Oregon, and Washington and garnered a Storer Boone Award for Best New Play. His novel and two books of poetry have been named a finalist at the William Faulkner Literary Festival and published by Yale Palimpsest, Jefferson Journal, LA Miscellany, and Smith & Kraus Books.  In 2023 wrote and premiered The Long Long Night (a new television series produced by the Duplass Brothers) at the Tribeca Film Festival.  As an educator, he’s taught at Yale University, Beargrass Writers’ Retreat, Southern Repertory Theater, University of Montana, Seasons Bereavement Center, City University of New York, Creative Connections, and is currently on faculty at Southern Oregon University.  He’s a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and the founder of Finding our Tales, national education workshops that embolden youth to share their stories through theatre.