Jessica Thebus

Jessica Thebus is an Associate Artist with Steppenwolf Theater Company, and an Artistic Associate at About Face Theater. Directing projects include INTIMATE APPAREL by Lynn Nottage at Steppenwolf, PULP by Patricia Kane at About Face Theatre (Jeff nomination Best Director, After Dark Award, Best Production), WINESBURG, OHIO, by Eric Rosen, also at About Face (Jeff nomination Best Director, After Dark Award, Best Director), WELCOME HOME, JENNY SUTTER at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE at Northlight, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at the University Of Notre Dame, NO PLACE LIKE HOME at Steppenwolf, CHICAGO, an outdoor spectacle at the Field Museum, THEY ALL FALL DOWN at Lookingglass, SEVEN MOVES by Patricia Kane at About Face, SALAO: THE WORST KIND OF UNLUCKY with Redmoon Theater (where she is a long time collaborator) MELANCHOLY PLAY, by Sarah Rhul, and ABINGDON SQUARE, by Maria Irene Fornes, at the Piven Theater, where she is a long time member of the teaching staff. For Steppenwolf’s Arts Exchange, she wrote HAYMARKET EIGHT (with Derek Goldman), and directed WHISPERING CITY, David Mamet’s THE WATER ENGINE, which moved to Theater on The Lake, and most recently, A TALE OF TWO CITIES. Jessica has also directed at Center Theater, Lifeline Theater, Collaboraction Theater and Caravan Productions, as well as touring internationally with the Bread and Puppet Theater. She holds a doctorate in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and has designed courses and taught at The University of Chicago, DePaul University, Columbia College and Roosevelt University. She is currently a faculty member in the Directing Program at Northwestern.