Jessica Hudson is a theatre generalist whose artistry lives at the intersection of performance, design, and collaboration. With a foundation in directing, wigs and makeup design, and arts administration, she approaches theatre as a space where storytelling is both visual and communal.

Her work ranges from co-directing intimate productions such as Smokefall to assisting on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, where she explores how text and staging can bridge audiences across time. As a designer, Jessica finds equal inspiration in the craft of transformation—whether building the stylized elegance of Steel Magnolias through wigs and makeup or shaping the fantastical worlds of A Chorus Line and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Each project allows her to balance historical research with imaginative detail, using design as a means of deepening character and narrative.

Jessica’s artistry also extends into the organizational heart of theatre. Her administrative work with Wichita State University’s School of Performing Arts has sharpened her understanding of how productions live beyond the stage—through community engagement, marketing, and storytelling that reaches new audiences. She sees this work not as separate from artistry but as an extension of it, ensuring that theatre remains accessible, celebrated, and alive.

Rooted in her training at Wichita State University, where she studied Theatre with a minor in Signed Languages and a certificate in Directing, Jessica’s practice was guided by adaptability and curiosity. She thrives in collaborative environments where she can merge her skills as an artist, designer, and organizer, always seeking to tell stories that resonate both visually and emotionally.

Theatre, to Jessica, is not only about what unfolds under the lights but about the unseen hands, voices, and ideas that bring it to life. Her goal is to continue creating work that honors the collective nature of theatre while pushing the boundaries of design and direction to uncover new ways of seeing and feeling.