Jen Jacobs (she/her) is a Director, Dramaturg, Teaching Artist, and overall Creator.

Jen is a freelance Director and Dramaturg currently based in Washington, DC. She is also the Associate Artistic Director and Co-Founder of National Children’s Theatre.

Some recent project highlights: The Lightning Thief at Montgomery College (Director), Fiddler on the Roof at Signature Theatre starring Douglas Sills as Tevye (Dramaturg), The Wizard of Oz at National Children’s Theatre (Director), Matilda Jr. at the Alden Theatre (Director), Footloose at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre (Intimacy Director), Over Her Dead Body at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Capital Fringe (Resident/Associate Director), Shadow of Success at Woolly Mammoth (Director), James and the Giant Peach Jr. at UDC Theatre of the Arts (Director), Safe Hands: A New Musical Off-Broadway at The Connelly Theater as a part of SheNYC (Director), and more.

Jen has also been the Associate Director on several projects, including a staged reading of Miss. Lulu Bett at Classic Stage Company (dir. Sheryl Kaller), Postmortem at Mosaic Theatre Company (dir. Sheryl Kaller), Cabaret at Montgomery College (dir. Jenna Place), The Chameleon at Theater J (dir. Ellie Heyman), and The Cherry Orchard at STC Academy (dir. Aaron Posner). She also served as Assistant to Director Mosiés Kaufman on his production of Here There Are Blueberries co-produced by Tectonic Theater Project and Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Jen believes the key to being a successful director is knowing as much as possible about all the different parts that go into making a show. In that vein, she has experience as a Young Performer Supervisor, Production Assistant, Stage Manager, Wardrobe Crew, Light Design Assistant, Actor, and Singer. She is also a Teaching Artist for several companies, including National Children’s Theatre which she helped co-found in 2025.

She graduated from Vassar College with a BA in Drama and History (Honors). She is an alumnus of New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Training Program as a Directing Apprentice as well as London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) Classical Acting Semester Program. She was a Directing Fellow at Shakespeare Theatre Company in 2021.