Jack Romans (he/him/his) is an American theatre maker and educator. His work uses youth-inclusive upcycling techniques to create bridging moments across ages and cultures through live performance. His work commits to learning from all things and challenging the notion of waste through wonder. Sparking & including young imaginations is at the heart of his craft.

Jack has created theatrical productions all over the world, including Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, England, and Japan. Jack has performed in numerous productions with the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, The MNOpera, Studio’62, Williams Opera Workshop, and the Children’s Theatre Company. As an educator, Jack has worked in a wide variety of academic and artistic settings. He has designed and led courses for young artists at the pre-K, grade school, and undergraduate levels as well as several adult professional development classes in voice, dance, clown, puppetry, design, and musical theatre. His pedagogy is rooted in interdisciplinary experiential learning, le Jeu of École Philippe Gaulier, and Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process. Jack has premiered over a dozen original productions as a director, writer, and interdisciplinary production creator, including Tails of a Fox, a non-verbal puppet piece for ages 4+ during the Gulali Festival in Central Java, and Dig!, an interactive multimedia performance created in residence with the Japanese company Usaginingen. Jack also incorporates upcycling into his puppetry and music work, collaborating with Saint Paul Academy and Summit School, Usaginingen, the Waikiki Aquarium, and kani ka ʻōpala to develop upcycling workshops and performances.

Pursuing a Master’s at the university of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Jack is continuing his work in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA). He is a graduate of Williams College where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. He completed his degree with Honors, was part of the early round of inductees into the Phi Beta Kappa Society, and received the Gilbert W. Gabriel Prize in Theatre. Jack has also trained with the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art and the NYU Tisch New Studio on Broadway.

Jack is a recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a year-long travel grant applied to creating intercultural TYA and arts education. He has also received a Graduate Degree Fellowship from the East-West Center and the Faith C. Ai Memorial Scholarship, both of which support multicultural and educational theatre practice in Hawai’i. His upcoming projects include developing a new puppetry piece titled A Paper Body, performing in E Ulu with Wahiawa Botanical Garden and Capitol Modern Museum, and serving as co-chair for the East-West Center’s East-West Fest 2025.