Julia VanTrees Cowitt is a multidisciplinary artist: a writer, actor, director, vocalist, designer, puppeteer, and theatre educator.  She combines her passions to create unique work that she hopes will resonate with audiences and encourage others to keep learning.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Julia bounced around schools a lot. Ever evolving, she had trouble finding the right place to stay. After attending two elementary schools, two middle schools, three high schools and four colleges, she graduated from SUNY Purchase with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. All the while, she continued to write and perform in stage plays, musicals, bands, and choirs. 

She considers Arc Stages in Pleasantville, NY to be one of her artistic homes where she has taken on a plethora of roles: performer, stage manager, stagehand, prop constructor, light and board op, and costume assistant. She’s painted the walls and mopped the floors. Most notably, she has assistant directed over a dozen children’s shows as part of their Educational Stage.

In 2022, Julia began earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre at Sarah Lawrence College. At SLC, Julia focused on all of her artistic passions. She wrote two and a half new plays, puppeteered in two original student works, and directed the new play Hello Neighbor! by Laila Gerstmann. Her play, The Royal We was produced as a main stage production. Most notably she wrote, directed, designed, and performed in her MFA thesis performance Heartstrings.

Julia aspires to create work that makes people feel understood. Fostering empathy is her main goal. She loves exploring truth and subjectivity. Where one person may perceive something as mundane, Julia sees a chance for theatricality.