Season 1, Episode 17: Jessica Hanna
This week we sit down with Los Angeles based Director & Producer Jessica Hanna to discuss her process of saying “F*ck it! Let’s try.”
Jessica Hanna is a Los Angeles based Director & Producer with a BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University. She is a member of The Kilroys, an activist artists group working for gender parity in the American Theatre. She was an Artist in Residence at Thymele Arts in 2019. She has trained with The SITI Co. and performed with them in 2010 & 2013 at The Getty Villa. She is currently the Chair of The SITI Co.’s Board. She Co-Founded Bootleg Theater and was it's Producing & Managing Director for 12 years. She worked with Roger Guenveur Smith on RODNEY KING. She helped create the Hope On Stage playwriting prize in collaboration with Cornell and Notre Dame Universities. She created the Solo Queens Festival that has featured 15 women solo performers in 2 years. Directing credits include: Lisa Dring's DEATH PLAY at Circle X Theatre, Brandon Baruch’s NO HOMO, at Hollywood Fringe Festival which was awarded Best Director, Best Ensemble and Best New Play. At Bootleg Theater jessica directed the World premieres of FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN by John Ross BowIe, I CARRY YOUR HEART by Georgette Kelly, THE WILLOWS by Kerri-Ann McCalla and BLUE GOLD & BUTTERFLIES by Stephanie Batiste.
She also directed, PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT at Celebration Theatre (Winner 2019 Ovation Award Best Production of a Musical). Also In 2019, she directed A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM for Make Trouble in Wilmington, NC. And Directed Michelle Kholos Brooks’ HOSTAGE at Adobe Rose Theatre in Santa Fe, NM. Jessica produced two plays by Kirsten Vangsness at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She Co-directed Justin Sayre’s RAVENSWOOD MANOR at Celebration Theater and directed a workshop of Sarah Tufts’ ABIGAIL for Inkwell Theatre. In 2020 she directed POLAROID STORIES at CalPoly Pomona. THE WOLVES at CSU Long Beach. During the pandemic she directed Iris Bahr’s solo piece DAI and produced Philicia Saunder’s BREATHE for Outpost_13 & Outside In and A WALK IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD by Katie Lindsey. Upcoming: FEFU & HER FRIENDS (online) at CalPoly Pomona and AS ONE at Orlando Opera.
