Jazz Zhu 朱缃宜 (she/her) is a director and arts administrator passionate about integrating design thinking with consent-forward, trauma-sensitive practices in performing arts spaces and beyond. 

In an effort to develop her prefrontal cortex, she studied directing and human-centered design at Pomona College, comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade, creative writing at Wesleyan University, and acting at the Central Academy of Drama. Most recently, she was part of the Observership Program at Center Theatre Group and worked at Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. 

While attending the Brown University of the West, Jazz served as the Artistic Director of the Claremont Chinese Theatre Group and directed juicy plays such as Jiehae Park’s Peerless and Cao Yu’s Thunderstorm, in which all characters were unhappy but more than half survived. As a semi-retired actor, her latest role was Hiro in Leah Nanako Winkler’s Kentucky, with the first being Bird #2 in Snow White. 

In her previous life, Jazz was a tortured musician, recreational linguist, and perfect Chinese daughter.

Photo by Abigail Gordon