The Arts at Center Street Welcomes Jessica Lynn French as Artistic Director, CSTA & CSTC
We are pleased to welcome Jessica Lynn French, accomplished artist, performer and educator, to our artistic staff at The Arts at Center Street. Jessica joins us as the Artistic Director for the Center Street Theatre Academy and the Center Street Theatre Company. Ms. French led a Theatre Club at The Arts at Center Street in Spring 2026, followed by directing Peter and the Starcatcher, a community production featuring participants in the theatre club. Already, Ms. French has been a part of launching an exciting lineup for The Arts at Center Street in the 26/27 season, including Honk! Jr. The Musical, Into the Woods Jr. The Musical, and Tuck Everlasting.
Jessica Lynn French, Artistic Director for the Center Street Theatre Academy and Center Street Theatre Company
On her role and the upcoming season, Ms. French says:
“I am thrilled to take on the role of Artistic Director! There are great things ahead for the Center Street Theatre Company & Academy. We are striving to be a place where everyone is welcomed and treated with dignity both on the stage and off. There has been no precasting of any kind for the upcoming season as our audition panels want to truly select who is the best fit for each role and each production. I hope to see many new faces as we mount stories from both the classic theatre repertoire and new works over the years to come!”
Jessica Lynn French, BIO
Ms. French has directed and music directed dozens of productions across the US. World Premiere Directing Credits: Queen E: The Reluctant Royal (New York Musical Festival, 2019); Castlewood (Wisconsin, 2022). Prior to this, she was a professional performer in New York City, Nashville, Boston, and Detroit. National Tour Credit: Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Regional Tour Cover Credits: The Brothers Grimm; Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing. Favorite stage roles include: Miss Hannigan (Annie), Mother Abbess (The Sound of Music), Mrs. Cratchit (A Christmas Carol), and Ruth (The Pirates of Penzance). Ms. French served as a Teaching Artist for The Metropolitan Opera in NYC and Artistic Director for the LCA Musical Theatre Intensive in Boston and as a Teaching Artist for NYC’s Broadway Bound Kids and The Metropolitan Opera. Ms. French has taught vocal masterclasses for the Carnegie Hall Association, Lincoln Center’s Borough-Linc Series, Studio Paulsen in Ecuador, and various universities across the US and internationally. As a voice over artist, Ms. French has been featured on recordings by Musical Theatre International, McGraw Hill, and Guitar Hero. She previously served as a vocal coach for Sock Eye Media's Mother Goose Club, a YouTube sensation with over 9 million subscribers that later became a Netflix show. Ms. French currently runs a private voice and acting studio. Her students have been in Broadway tours, on stage at the Metropolitan Opera, in major films, and contestants on American Idol and The Voice. Ms. French has a B.M. in Voice Performance from The Boston Conservatory, a dual M.M. in Voice Performance & Vocal Pedagogy from Belmont University, and a M.A.Ed with a concentration in Trauma-Informed Theatre Education from St. Mary's University of MN. As an educator, she has designed theatre curriculums for three school districts and two universities. In 2015, Jessica was nominated for a Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education. Ms. French is the Director of Theatre 4 All. She is also a proud union member of AGMA.
