About

Jess Ernst (she/her) has been directing and producing in the greater Boston area since 2009. Directing credits include Naomi in the Living Room, Christopher Durang (Sleeping Weazel); Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (MIT Shakespeare Ensemble); The Tempest, William Shakespeare (Queen Mab); Toasting Man, Hortense Gerardo (Flat Earth Theatre, world premiere); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare (Queen Mab); Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (Eastern Nazarene College); Henry IV part 1 (Praxis Stage); The Women Who Mapped The Stars, Joyce Van Dyke (The Nora Theatre Company, world premiere); Daughter of Venus, Howard Zinn (Artists’ Theatre of Boston); The Love of the Nightingale, Timberlake Wertenbaker (Open Theatre Project); The Weaver of Raveloe, Erica Glenn and Melissa Leilani Larson (Oberon, world premiere); Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen (The Longwood Players), and many staged readings, workshops, and/or festival productions of new works. She has also directed a short film, Living Landscape: A Live Arts Documentary (Sleeping Weazel).

Jess brings an exploratory, collaborative, and human-centered approach to her work with both new plays and classics. Her directing process is heavily influenced by the Tectonic Theatre Project’s Moment Work, as well as Viewpoints practice.

Jess is also the Managing Director of Sleeping Weazel, where she serves as a key producer of multimedia, experimental full productions, staged readings, cabarets, and creative community gatherings. In 2022, she was Sleeping Weazel’s lead producer in a collaborative co-production with ArtsEmerson of the world premiere of Everyday Life and Other Odds and Ends, by Charlotte Meehan. This multimedia play with dance received widespread audience acclaim and an Elliot Norton Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography. Jess has also worked in development at The Theater Offensive.

Jess holds an MS in Arts Administration from Boston University and a BA in Theatre Arts and English from Gettysburg College.

In addition to her theatrical work, Jess is the Grants and Fund Development Manager at the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation. She lives in Boston with her family and an ever-expanding garden.