Director
of
Dance
theatre
Jess Noel currently directs in Philadelphia at Philly PACK educational theatre and with Humble Materials theatre collective.
“the unique strength of this work is the way the performers can tell such a clear story without saying a word.”
—Mads Klemm, Philadelphia Dance Journal, 2022.
Humble Materials
Staging Physical-theatre
Jess co-founded Philadelphia-based theatre collective HUMBLE MATERIALS. Her staging and direction were featured in their dance-theatre projects White Dress (Philadelphia Theatre Week, 2021) Of A Feather (Philadelphia Fringe Festival, 2021), MEDEA (Philly PACK, 2022), SCARLET LETTER (Philadelphia Fringe Festival, 2022), The Yellow Wallpaper (Philadelphia Fringe Festival, 2023), ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT(Philadelphia Fringe Festival, 2024), and CASS (Philadelphia Fringe Festival, 2025) .
Photo by Andrea C. Mecchi from CASS, 2025.
Shape Maker
A trademark of Jess Noel’s staging is her shape-making.
Photo by Toby McDonald from Kat Caro and Monica Flory’s film premiere for MADE OF PAPER (Philadelphia, 2024). Jess Noel staged, choreographed and designed lighting for the companion piece Dance of Beloved.
