Jason Phelps

Performing Arts

I began performing in high school in Cincinnati, Ohio and went on to earn a BFA in Acting from Boston University in 1990.

In 1991, I moved to Austin, TX and co-founded Frontera/Hyde Park Theatre whose mission was to produce contemporary American plays.

I performed in over ten plays in the ten years I was with the company and received 3 Best Actor Awards from the Austin Critic’s Table. In addition to performing, I was also in charge of marketing, development, and producing. In 1992, along with Vicky Boone and Annie Suite, I co-created FronteraFest which has become one of Austin’s most successful theatre festivals. In 1996 and 1997 I curated and produced a new music and performance festival called SOUND AND VISION with musicians and performers from NYC, Austin, and Houston.

My performance work has taken me all over the country. I have toured with Rude Mechs (Lipstick Traces), Jomama Jones/Daniel Alexander Jones (Blood:Shock:Boogie), and The Intergalactic Nemesis (a live action graphic novel). I have also performed my own solo dance/theatre work in NYC (HERE Arts Center), St. Paul (Penumbra Theatre), and Seattle (New City Theatre). In Austin, in addition to Frontera productions, I have had the good fortune of performing with some of the city’s most successful theatre companies including ZACH (Angels in America, Spring Awakening), Salvage Vanguard (Tilt Angel), and Capital T (There is a Happiness that Morning Is, Detroit, The Dumb Waiter, The Strangerer, Song About Himself). I also have my own production company, Jason Phelps & Co., which creates original work integrating performers and non-performers to build Community (FEAST of my HEART, In His Shoes-The Father/Son Project, and The Community Cafe).

My career as a dancer has been an integral part of my artistic development. In 1992 I met my wife, Margery Segal, and was a member of her dance company, MS/Nerve, for 10 years. In 1993 I participated in a Deborah Hay workshop that had a profound impact on my life as a performer. I have also worked with Ralph Lemon, Laurie Carlos, and Andrea Ariel, and Heloise Gold. My solo dance theatre piece “Listening to Spiders” was part of Fusebox performance festival in Austin in 2011.

I am a multi-disciplinary performer and teacher who has been involved in theatre, dance, music, commercial acting, voice-overs, and education for over 30 years.

Education

I have nearly 15 years of experience teaching reading, writing, math, and performing arts in both the classroom and individually as a tutor. As a trained teacher with a M.Ed specializing in Waldorf and Arts Integrated curricula, I am passionate about teaching students and fellow teachers the importance of an arts-rich curriculum.

EDUCATION
M.Ed.-Waldorf/Integrated Arts, Antioch New England, 2004
BFA-Acting, Boston University School of Theater Arts, 1990

CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE
Class Teacher for Grades 1-5, Lake Champlain Waldorf School, Shelburne, VT.
Class Teacher for Grades 1-3, Austin Discovery School, Austin, TX
Class Mentor Level 2 (ages 5-7), Integrity Academy, Austin, TX
Assistant 1st Grade Teacher and Substitute Middle School Teacher, Garden City Waldorf School, Garden City, NY

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN ARTS AND EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
Director of Summer Theatre Camps, Lake Champlain Waldorf School, Shelburne, VT
Guest Director, The Crucible, Anderson High School Theatre, Austin, TX
Performance Workshop for Teenagers, New Bristol Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
Founder and Assistant Artistic Director, Frontera/Hyde Park Theatre, Austin, TX.
Assistant to Theatre School Director, St. Edwards University, Austin, TX