JESS MCLEOD (she/her) is a New York-based director specializing in risky new work about America. Recent credits include D.A. Mindell’s On the Evolutionary Function of Shame (Second Stage); Keiko Green’s Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story (Seattle Children’s Theatre); her original musical SAFE (songs by Brian Quijada, BAM); Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play (Steppenwolf); Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady (Alliance, Cincy Playhouse); Isaac Gómez’s Radical or, are you gonna miss me (IAMA); Paola Lázaro’s There’s Always the Hudson (Woolly Mammoth); The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Little Island); Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice (Long Wharf), Idris Goodwin’s Hype Man (Actors Theatre of Louisville); and Hansol Jung’s Wolf Play (Jeff Nom, The Gift Theatre). She spent three years as Resident Director of HAMILTON Chicago and recently served as Woolly Mammoth’s BOLD Resident Director; Artist-In-Residence at the NYCLU (Creatives Rebuild grantee); Lead Curator for Roundabout’s 2023 Refocus Project; and Co-Chair, with Michael Korie, of the Dramatists Guild Foundation’s Musical Theatre Fellows Program. Proud SDC Executive Board Member and Drama League TV/Film Fellow (Fire Country). Other premieres include Hang Man (The Gift); Earth To Kenzie (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Venus (Steppenwolf); Do You Feel Anger? and Fulfillment Center (A Red Orchid); in a word (Strawdog); How We Got On (Jeff Nom., Haven); The Great Khan (San Diego Rep); Landladies (Northlight); Season on the Line (Jeff Nom., The House) and Kevin Coval’s L-vis Live! (Victory Gardens). Other Chicago credits include Short Shakes! Midsummer (CST); a rather socialist production of The Pajama Game, Fugitive Songs and a reimagined Marry Me A Little (Jeff Nom., Porchlight).
