Jerrell L. Henderson

JERRELL L. HENDERSON is a director, puppeteer, and an Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at Chicago State University. Recent directing credits include The River with BoHo Theatre, Something Like A War: A New Musical with 11th Hour Theatre, and Untitled with Inis Nua Theatre (Philadelphia Theatre Barrymore Nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play). Other credits include Salt Pepper Ketchup with Passage and InterAct Theatre and Red Summer: A New American Play with Music by Shepsu Aakhu and Andy White with MPAACT Theatre & Fleetwood-Jordain Theatre. Upcoming productions include The Very Hungry Caterpillar with Chicago Children’s Theatre and Thurgood at Walnut Street Theatre: Studio 3. His shadow play adaptation, 3 American Myths: A Riff in Shadow & Light in 3 Rhythmic Movements was a finalist for a 2019 Jim Henson Foundation Grant. As an assistant director, Jerrell has worked with Victory Gardens Theater, The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, and Lookingglass Theatre. He has taught and directed at several institutions including Illinois State University, Northwestern University, The University of the Arts, and Actor’s Training Center. He received a BA in Theatre Arts from The Pennsylvania State University, an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University, is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab (2012), Victory Gardens Directors Inclusion Initiative (2017-2018), and is an Artistic Associate of Black Lives Black Words.