Jane Pesci-Townsend

Co-chair, Musical Theatre

Jane Pesci-Townsend, a four-time Helen Hayes award nominee (The Revenge of Mrs. Foggybottom, '88; Closer Than Ever, '92; Putting It Together, '01; The Pirates of Penzance, '02), is a well-recognized feature on the stages of Washington, D.C. Has appeared at Arena Stage, The Folger Theatre, Metro Stage, Round House Theater, Source Theatre, Washington Jewish Theatre, Signature Theater and The Marquee Cabaret. Was honored to be part of the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration production of Sweeney Todd as a member of the ensemble and the understudy for Mrs. Lovett played by Christine Baranski. When Ms. Baranski fell ill, Jane went on opposite Brian Stokes Mitchell and garnered rave reviews in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor. Faculty member of The Catholic University of America's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music and currently chair of the Music Theatre Department. Recently has become involved with Signature Theatre's Kennedy Center-based Summer Music Theatre Workshop OVERTURES, joining faculty such as Eric Schaeffer, Richard Maltby, Carolee Carmello, and Ricki Ian Gordon. Made her professional directing debut at MetroStage in Alexandria, VA with The Last Five Years in 2005. As a director who specializes is educational theatre, has directed for The Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts; Montgomery College; University of Maryland, College Park; The Theatre Lab's Music Theatre Institute for Teens at Source Theatre; The Catholic University of America and for the Paradigm Players, a theater company devoted to supporting actors with special needs.