Jana María
Screenwriter, director, actress, singer, songwriter & vocal coach
English
Jana Maria (Maria Goodman) is an Icelandic actress, singer, screenwriter and a director. She graduated with a BA Acting degree from the Royal Conservatoire in Scotland after completing a classical singing diploma from the Reykjavik Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts. Jana Maria also completed an intensive TV writing course from Columbia University Summer School and a Film development diploma from The University of South Denmark.
Jana Maria's experience spans a wide range of both theater (actress & director) and music (singer, songwriter) in Iceland and abroad. In theater she’s performed in Les Misérables (Cosette understudy, ensemble) at the National Theatre and Rocky Horror (Janet), LILYA (Lilya) based on Lukas Moodysson’s film Lilya4ever for MAK Theatre Company in Iceland and Soldier’s Tale (Devil) by Igor Stravinsky for the Nordic Symphony Orchestra. Jana Maria has also performed and produced the Hair, the Musical (Sheila) with the independent theater group Silfurtunglið. Most recently she performed as an actress (the Mother) in Mattheus Junior, a short theatrical adaptation of Bach’s Matthäus-Passion, developed for young audiences.
Music-wise, Jana Maria has created several concerts performing musical theater, pop and classical music. She created and performed Söngfuglar, a concert series in Iceland where early pop music were intertwined with stories of the first Icelandic female pop singers. The Ingibjörg Þorbergs-show was featured at RÚV, The National Television Broadcasting.
Abroad Jana Maria has performed in the Wizard of Oz (Glinda understudy, ensemble) at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, House of Bernarda Alba (Amelia) at the Stereo, Glasgow and she directed Peter & the Wolf at the PLUG Festival at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
In New York Jana Maria has participated and performed in a Broadway concert, Broadway Against Bullying at Sony Hall, New York. Jana Maria co-directed Revolution: A Musical, off-Broadway at Minetta Lane Theatre and most recently the leading role in Time Stops: The Musical (Emma), which world-premiered in Palm Beach, Florida in 2022. The cast album is to be released soon.
Jana Maria wrote Macial Christmas Moments, a children’s activity book to follow up on a Christmas with Jana Maria, TV series for children. Jana Maria was a part of the writer’s room for the TV series Vigdis - A president, for Glassriver film production company & Vesturport theatre company. Jana Maria’s first solo album FLORA was released in 2017, followed by performances at various festivals and events, such as Iceland Airwaves.
Jana Maria's upcoming concerts include a performance of her program Kurt Weill - From Berlin to Broadway and an encore of Post-war musical journey, which she previously performed at the Light Nights Festival, Hljómahöll Concert Hall, Iceland. Currently Jana Maria is developing and writing YOUTH, a TV series for young adults.
