Jessica Carmichael, MFA, MA

Jessica Carmichael is an artist of mixed Indigenous (Abénaki, non-status) and European heritage. She specializes in directing, acting, creation and dramaturgy. Jessica trained at the National Theatre School of Canada (Acting), the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art & King’s College London (MA Text & Performance Studies with Distinction), the University of Alberta (MFA Directing with Distinction) and the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction (Stratford Festival, 2014 & 2016).  

Before coming to Concordia, Jessica spent three seasons as the Artistic Director of Carousel Players, a professional theatre company for young audiences. She is a past artistic associate with Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto and was Program Director of their Playwrights Unit Animiikiig. She was a workshop leader for “The Study” hosted by the National Arts Centre, Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance and Debajehmujig Creation Centre. 

Directing (select): Hamlet (Canadian Stage Dream in High Park 2024),  The Clearing (Shaw Festival of Canada 2023) Grief (Concordia University Theatre Department, 2023), Middletown (The National Theatre School of Canada, 2023), The Rez Sisters (Stratford Festival of Canada's 2021 Season); Medicine Wheel, Dream Girl, Across This Body, Dark Matters all responding to the 2019 report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls for New Harlem's commissioned Embodying Power and Place (New Harlem Productions in association with Nightwood Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts 2021); Apathy (Concordia University Theatre Department 2019); Boys Girls, And Other  Mythological Creatures (Harbourfront Centre, Carousel Players 2019, 2017); Ipperwash (Blyth Festival 2017), Tick; iChild; Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin; Spelling 2-5-5 (Carousel Players 2014-2017), Two Indians (Summerworks Festival 2016);  CLGA Unarchived (co-curator, Buddies in Bad Times Rhubarb Festival 2015), girls!girls!girls! (co-director, SummerWorks 2013). 

Upcoming: Directing Caleigh Crow's There Is Violence And There Is Righteous Violence And There Is Death Or, The Born-Again Crow (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre 2025)

Acting (select):  Jessica's work as an actor has taken her across the country. As a youth growing up in Edmonton she worked with such companies as Northern Light Theatre (True Mummy), Stage Polaris (West Side Story), Walterdale Playhouse (Better Living) and UofA’s Studio Theatre (Jennie’s Story). Since graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada's Three Year Acting program, Jessica's has worked primarily in new play development.  She has had principle and supporting roles in full length feature Canadian films including A Louder Silence (dir. Nicolette Saina), I Think I Do (dir. Dylan Pierce) and Heart of the Sun (dir. France Damberger) and the television series Mentors including the episode The Truth Is Out There (dir. Grant Harvey).

Playwriting (select): Jessica co-created/wrote Ipperwash with playwright Falen Johnson as part of a commission for the Blyth Festival’s 2017-2018 Season, working closely with community members of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation. Jessica adapted for the stage Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin by author Chieri Uegaki and illustrator Qin Leng (Kids Can Press), with collaboration with Chieri Uegaki and her family. 

Dramaturgy (select): Jessica has dramaturged numerous playwrights work over the years. Todd Houseman's Children of the Bear with Outside the March; Ho Ka Kei's (Jeff Ho) Cockroach with Playwrights Workshop Montréal; Jani Lauzon and Kaitlyn Riordan's 1939 with the Stratford Festival of Canada; Corrina Hodgson's Sex Garage with Playwrights Workshop Montréal and Table D'Hôte; and Mark Crawford, Jordi Mand, Kate Hewlett and Matt Mackenzie's new works in development with Carousel Players. 

jessicacarmichael.org

Acting, Directing, Dramaturgy, Playwriting

As a director, dramaturge, creator and performer my creation research often investigates the body of classic western works in non-traditional forms, as well as contemporary theatrical stories. Project themes often touch upon grief, hope, resistance, misunderstanding, resilience and love. 

Research Affiliations at Concordia:

Member of Indigenous Futures Research Centre