CHICAGO: Goodman Theatre has named Jess McLeod the recipient of the 2016-17 Michael Maggio Fellowship. Awarded to Chicago-based directors, the fellowship gives the selected director the opportunity to assist on a Goodman production from the early research to the show’s opening. The fellowship was established to honor the memory of associate artistic director Michael Maggio.
“Now is the time for theatre to speak up about Chicago and the country at large, loudly and with a true plurality of voices,” said McLeod in a statement. “As a director dedicated to holding the megaphone, I’m thrilled to spend a year immersed in the artistic life of the Goodman, a theatre proud to engage in the American conversation on civic, national and global levels.”
McLeod’s recent and upcoming projects include Lyric Unlimited’s Chicago Voices program, the Porchlight Theatre’s Marry Me A Little, and American Theater Company’s The Project(s), which will tour Chicago Public Schools. She has presented workshops and directed works at the Goodman, Stage Left, Haven Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, the House Theatre of Chicago, Victory Gardens, Strange Tree Group, the Music Theatre Company, and Steppenwolf’s Next Up! program. She is a teaching artist at Storycatchers Theatre and serves as program manager for the annual “Louder Than a Bomb” youth poetry festival. She holds an MFA from Northwestern University.
