Meet Director of Education, Jarrett King
We’re highlighting the incredible Education team who contribute their skills, energy, and enthusiasm to Court’s Education Initiative. These artists have a wealth of experience in both education and theatre, and we feel honored to work with them every day. In this post, we’re featuring Director of Education, Jarrett King!
When did you know you wanted to work in theatre? At what age did that become clear?
I’ve participated in theatre since I was a senior in high school, competing in speech tournaments and school productions. But it’s hard to pinpoint when I recognized theatre as my calling. In many ways, that awakening coincided with my journey as an educator in my mid-twenties. When I realized that theatre and teaching were linked in my mind, I understood that the shared thread between them is storytelling.
Was there a teacher, teaching artist, or mentor that helped you find your love of theatre? Tell us about them and how their guidance still helps you today.
My high school drama teacher, Ivan Klousia, was the first person who saw a performer in me, almost immediately, in my Intro to Drama class my junior year. When I joined the speech team, he gave me a copy of Topdog/Underdog, which completely rearranged my understanding of theatre and what it could be. Ivan still has my back to this day. A few years ago, he submitted my plays to Undermain Theatre, a company in Dallas that he’s worked with over the years, which resulted in my being awarded the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work and subsequent productions of my plays Box and St. Miles with them.
Why did you want to work at Court Theatre? What’s your favorite thing about working at Court, specifically?
When Kamilah Rashied was promoted from Director of Education to Director of Engagement, she reached out to see if I’d consider the possibility of taking over her old position. I knew Kamilah already, and admired her greatly, so I think what sold me on working here was the second interview, when I got to meet additional members of the Court team. The Court staff is so wonderful, and they are absolutely my favorite thing about working here. It’s one thing to have the freedom to envision exciting programs, but getting to do that alongside some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met is beyond what I expected when I first considered a job at Court.
What other hats do you wear in theatre?
I’m a playwright, and I’ve acted professionally in theatre, film, and television for over twenty years. I’ve dabbled in directing as well. I once directed 50 1st-4th graders in a production of The Jungle Book and survived!
What play/ character from a play most describes you?
This is tough! But I’m going to go with Peter Quince from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I got to play him at Chicago Shakespeare Theater a few years ago, and I feel a lot of alignment with his desire to just tell a good story with the people he loves, despite the chaos unfolding around him.
JARRETT KING (he/him) is a playwright and educator based in Chicago, Illinois. His play A War of the Worlds—an Afrofuturist reimagining of The War of the Worlds radio broadcast—was the inaugural production in Penfold Theatre Company’s new play commission series and received 12 B. Iden Payne Award nominations, including Best Original Script. Other works include The Possible, Box (Best Theatrical Production – DMagazine’s Best of Dallas 2025), Frog Splash (Definition Theatre Amplify New Play Commission, 2026 O’Neill Semi-Finalist), and St. Miles (2025 O’Neill Semi-Finalist, 2025 Blue Ink Award Finalist), which was developed as part of Goodman Theatre’s New Stages Residency. He is the 2023 recipient of Undermain Theatre’s Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work and is a two-time second rounder at the Austin Film Festival. As an actor, he has over two decades worth of credits performing in film, television, and professional theaters, including Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Salvage Vanguard, Penfold Theatre, and the Mary Moody Northen Theatre. As an educator, he has worked as a Teaching Artist at Steppenwolf, Silk Road Rising, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Shakespeare Slam, and as an Adjunct Professor at Loyola University. He is the Director of Education at Court Theatre (2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Beverly Arts Center.