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Jessica Jahn joined Montclair State University's Theatre and Dance Department in the Fall of 2024, as an Assistant Professor of Costume Design, in the Design, Technology and Management Program. A graduate of Rutgers University, with degrees in both Dance and Psychology, Jessica Jahn danced professionally in NYC before beginning a career in design.

Jessica is dedicated to innovative, socially focused work within her field. She collaborated on one of the earliest performances of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s In The Red and Brown Water, directed by Tina Landau. Jessica also designed Blue, written by Tazewell Thompson and composed by Jeanine Tesori, winner of the MCANA Award for Best New Opera, and worked with Jessica Blank, Eric Jensen and Steve Earle on The Public’s premiere of Coal Country. She was awarded both the Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk for her design of Charles Busch’s The Confession of Lily Dare.

Presently, she is co-chair of the steering committee on Opera America’s Women’s Opera Network (WON), also serving on OA’s Racial Justice Opera Network (RJON) steering committee, the OA Board’s Membership Committee, and as a member of the OA’s board. Jessica was the inaugural chair to the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) task force at the Glimmerglass Festival, and coordinated their equity and social justice initiatives. Jessica has taught at NYU, Rutgers University, and Brandeis University’s Theater Arts Departments, and works with Turn the Spotlight, as well as The Open Stage Project—-organizations that provide mentorships and empower young people in the performance arts. Currently working toward her Masters in Cultural Anthropology at CUNY Hunter College, her academic focus deals with examining theatrical design praxes and their impact on our social and racial narratives.

Office Hours

Fall

Tuesday

2:30 pm - 5:30 pm

(or by appointment)

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• www.jessicajahn.com