Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Bess Wohl

Bess Wohl

Playwright and Filmmaker, Michael D. Eisner Arts & Culture Fellowship

New York, NY, United States

Bess Wohl is playwright and filmmaker whose plays have been produced on and off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. Bess earned a GLAAD Media Award for her most recent play LIBERATION as well as a finalist spot for this year’s Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her other plays include BARCELONA (West End), GRAND HORIZONS (Broadway, Tony Nomination), CAMP SIEGFRIED, SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, MAKE BELIEVE, CONTINUITY, AMERICAN HERO, TOUCHED, IN, CATS TALK BACK and the original musical PRETTY FILTHY. Her plays have been recognized with a variety of awards and nominations, including the Drama Desk, Drama League, Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics’ Circle. 

In film and television, she has developed projects with Amazon, HBO, Paramount, ABC, Disney, and others. Bess’ film BABY RUBY premiered at TIFF in 2022. Page Fifty-Four produced with Noémie Merlant and Kit Harrington starring. She wrote for the Apple series EXTRAPOLATIONS, and is currently developing a TV project starring Connie Britton, with LuckyChap producing. 

Bess is an Associate Artist with The Civilians, an alumna of Ars Nova’s Play Group, and the current Judith Champion fellow at Manhattan Theatre Club. She is a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Drama. Bess is a Fellow of the inaugural cohort of the Michael D. Eisner Arts & Culture Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.