Hello
My name is Jessica! I am an Arts Administrator, Creative Producer, Director and Teaching Artist based in New York City. I have a passion for bringing boldly human, risk-taking new stories to life. I am invigorated by work that promotes accessibility for audiences and artists, representation of diverse groups of artists, and has a connection to relevant issues. I believe that theatre is an educational tool that uplifts the stories that need to be told so they may reach those who need to hear them, and my work as a producer and administrator is focused on doing just that.
My Story
I have always had a passion for storytelling, and theatre has always been the medium that allowed me to connect best to others while telling stories. So naturally, when I graduated high school in 2014, I moved to New York City from a small town in Connecticut to pursue a degree in theatre. I studied musical theatre performance for one year before realizing that it was not my calling (though I still dabble in it from time to time!). I wanted to be the one to challenge what stories were being told in the theatre on a larger scale, bringing diverse groups of passionate people together, and setting the tone for the kind of deeply human storytelling that changes minds and creates civic and social action. That's why in 2015 I transferred to The New School of Drama to focus on directing and producing.
While in school, I formed HERE WE GO alongside two fellow students, a site-specific theatre company of which I was the Co-Artistic Director from 2018-2020. While there, I co-produced two in-person festivals featuring the work of primarily female-identifying emerging artists and acted as lead producer on four online short play festivals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before and after graduating, I was also directing and assistant directing shows around NYC at The New School of Drama, Dixon Place, The Writopia Worldwide Plays Festival, and New York Summerfest. In 2019, I graduated from The New School with my BFA in drama, and went on to work as a freelance teaching artist, producer and director. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I did not stop, but looked for the next opportunity: I founded and produced REMEMBER Fest 2020, an online festival that allowed a diverse group of multidisciplinary artists to present work that reflected on the events of the year 2020 in a unique online venue.
Today, in addition to working as an independent creative producer, I have worked for the past two years as a development professional with various nonprofit organizations. In these roles, I work to secure vital funding for independent, experimental and social justice focused theatre. Currently, I work with PROTOTYPE Opera | Theatre | Now as Membership Coordinator, bringing the most dedicated musical theatre and opera fans from around the country closer to innovative new work. In 2023, I will graduate with my MA in Arts Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University.