Jessica has been a Teaching Artist in the NYC area for 15 years at Performing Arts Schools, Theater Companies, After School Programs, and Summer Camps working with Pre-School to College students including those with disabilities in techniques from Acting to Musical Theatre to Filmmaking to Creative Arts to Baking to Community Building.
Currently, she holds the position of Education Manager at Off-Broadway’s Classic Stage Company and Teaching Artist with Disney Theatrical Group including Disney Musicals in Schools and Broadway Workshops.
Classic Stage Company’s Education Manager - Photo by Allison Stock
Photo by John Cowan
Jessica truly considers herself a Teaching Artist because when she is not rehearsing or performing, she is in a classroom with students sharing her craft and guiding them to grow as thoughtful artists and community members in a supportive, challenging yet fun environment.
Their minds hold stories of such imagination and possibility, and her focus is for each student to discover what's unique to them and accepting others as such. It's truly about the ensemble as family and the support for each other not only on the stage but in everyday life.
CURRENT PROGRAMS
PREVIOUS PROGRAMS
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School's Youth Courses
Hudson Valley Shakespeare / West Point
Triad Stage Learning Programs
Joffrey Ballet School Musical Theatre Intensive
PS 87 Afterschool
Inside Broadway
Stages on the Sound / QSAC
Class Act Performing Arts Studio
Kids Creative
Nashville Children’s Theater
Imagination Station: The Documentary
PS 87 Afterschool
Taught multiple years as the Assistant Teacher to Amey Goerlich in this filmmaking class with Kindergartners. Here's a little behind the scenes look!
A Notch in Time by The ACTivists
Kids Creative Summer Program
Led the Middle School ACTivists in creating and performing a full piece presented in the round that explored major questions about time, how its used and what it means.
In the Spring of 2020, Jessica co-founded the online children’s theatre, Adventure Players Live!, an ensemble of professional artists and educators who blend storytelling, music, art, and movement into interactive adventures for kids ages 5 to 9 all online. When Jessica and her fellow artists realized that their work as performers and teaching artists had disappeared for the foreseeable future, they wanted to create something that brought live, engaging and educational entertainment to kids across the country (and now around the globe) through Zoom. APL shows are designed to include everyone, making each child feel essential to the story.