Jason Phelps

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.

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.

Education is an important and vital aspect of my career. 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. I was a class teacher at the Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Vermont for five years and also developed summer theatre camps for all ages. In Austin I’ve taught at The Discovery School, Integrity Academy, Whole Life Learning Center, and KidsActing. Currently, I tutor Reading, Writing, Math, and Acting to students from ages 8-18. Outside the schools, I’ve led theatre workshops for teens and adults in Vermont, Philadelphia, St. Paul, and Austin.