Artistic Director

JULIE JAMES is the founder and Artistic Director of Jewel Theatre Company where she has directed Next to Normal and Woman in Mind among other plays, and acted in The Other Place, Me and My Girl, Always… Patsy Cline, Sylvia, A Streetcar Named Desire, Guys and Dolls, Arcadia, Mary Stuart, and House of Blue Leaves among others. Prior to founding JTC, Julie performed at numerous theatres in the Bay Area and beyond, including Marin Theatre Company, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, American Musical Theatre of San Jose, California Conservatory Theatre, Center Repertory Theatre, The Willows Theatre, and VITA Shakespeare Festival. Julie has been a member of Actors’ Equity for 28 years, holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Santa Clara University, graduated from the Drama Studio of London at Berkeley, completed M.A. coursework at San Francisco State University, and spent 20 years as a grant writer and analyst for non-profit and government agencies.

Board of Directors

Mary James, president

Earleen Overend, vice president

Martha Seaver, secretary

Scott Walecka, treasurer

Owen Brown, member

Carolyn Hyatt, member

George Newell, member

Corinne Wipke, member