Jennifer Nelson

Jennifer L. Nelson is Director of Special Programming at Ford’s Theatre. She has worked in professional theatre for thirty-seven years as an actress, administrator, educator, playwright, producer and director. She was Producing Artistic Director of the African Continuum Theatre for eleven years and completed two terms as President of the League of Washington Theatres.

For African Continuum Ms. Nelson produced twenty-six plays, including several world premieres. In addition to directing for African Continuum, she has directed at many theatres throughout the Washington area, including Ford’s, Round House, Woolly Mammoth, Everyman, Rep Stage, Theatre for the First Amendment, Source, Imagination Stage, Young Playwrights and Tsunami.  Ms. Nelson has also directed at Manhattan Class Company, the Taper and LATC (Los Angeles), Penumbra Theatre Minnesota, Oregon Shakespeare, Virginia Commonwealth University and University of South Carolina.  Prior to African Continuum, she was an actress and Associate Director of the Living Stage Theatre Company at Arena Stage.

Ms. Nelson serves an adjunct professor in theatre at Georgetown University. She has also taught at George Washington University, the American University, George Mason University and UCLA.  She is a graduate of the University of California at Davis.