Jennifer Henry is elated to join the PDP Team as Director of Education and Development. Hailing from rural Pennsylvania, Jennifer holds three degrees in Music, Theatre Performance and Technical Theatre and Design from Davis & Elkins College. She has a very similar past with performing arts to Patrick Dorow. Seeing a need for innovation and creating an open and safe space for everyone, Jennifer took over the direction of her church’s children’s choir and semi-annual musical productions while she was still in high school. After serving as choreographer for her high school’s show choir, and becoming the recipient of the 2000 National Choir Award, Henry went to college to major in music education.

 

Not happy with the restrictions and exclusiveness a classroom setting within the educational system, she found a much better fit within fine and performing arts. Since graduating from college, Henry has served as Education Director, Choreographer, Fight Choreographer, Music Director, Vocal Coach, Teacher, Actor, Director, Singer, Musician, Combatant and Technician in 46 of the 50 United States.

 

Most recently serving as Education Director for The Hampstead Stage Company, Henry gave a complete overhaul to the educational resources available to schools and libraries for America’s longest touring children’s theatre, including: providing full length study guides for elementary and middle school audiences, upgraded digital and print media, and designed the curriculum and trained educators for creative new workshops to offer an added learning point for their audiences.

 

Serving inner city, and often underprivileged, youth in Memphis, TN through Playhouse on the Square, she created new curriculum for the After School Acting Program (ASAP), a twelve-week after school program for elementary schools focusing on a specific genre of theatre each session, resulting in a culminating performance in that style at the Festival of Plays, a production where classes from all over the city came to perform together as an educational community.  Curriculums included Commedia, Greek Theatre, Non-Verbal Communication, etc.  Henry also helmed Youth and Adult theatre classes, offering dance, music, and acting to individuals at the beginner to advanced levels.  She served as Music Director for the Summer Youth Theatre Conservatory, and as vocal coach and choreographer to the Teens ‘n Theatre program.

 

Jennifer specializes in connecting students of any level of experience to the tools they need to grow and flourish.  She holds the “5000 foot view” of the educational programming PDP offers with the community in mind, first and foremost.  Please feel free to stop and introduce yourself to her when you’re by PDP next.  She is very much looking forward to this new and exciting year!