Gregory Beam
Playwriting/Screenwriting
Champaign, IL
Greg is a writer, performer, composer, podcaster, and college professor. His work for the stage has been described as “perversely sophisticated... refreshingly transgressive” (Chicago Reader), “smart, stylish, sharply realistic drama” (TimeOut London), and “something important in the modern theatre” (British Theatre Guide). In 2013, he was part of the writing team for Hot Fun in the Wintertime!, which played Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre. In 2015, he was a member of Interstate 73, the playwrights group hosted by Off-Broadway theater Page 73. Three of Greg’s plays have been semi-finalists for the O’Neill Center National Playwrights Conference. Greg’s debut novel, "Reclamation", came out in 2017. The same year, he launched the podcast "Quite Useless", a philosophical exploration of art and its role in our lives. He has also written podcast scripts for Spotify and served as a consultant for film and theater productions. As an actor, Greg has appeared in numerous films, commercials, and video games, as well as on stages across the U.S., most recently playing the title role in "Macbeth" at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival in 2024. Greg has a BA from the University of Chicago and an MFA from The University of California–Irvine. He currently serves as an Instructional Assistant Professor in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Film at Illinois State University.