Jesca Prudencio
Associate Professor
Theatre
PSFA Diversity Council
School of Theatre, Television, and Film
College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
SDSU
Bio
Jesca Prudencio is a theater and film director dedicated to developing new theatrical happenings that explore the tension and bridges between cultures. She focuses on new plays, musicals, film, and dance theater in SoCal, regionally, and internationally with her signature blend of playful physicality, bold visuals, and heartfelt emotion. Favorite credits include Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play at The Old Globe (awarded Outstanding Director by San Diego Critics Circle), Dot Dot Dot: A New Musical as a TheatreworksUSA national tour (performed at the White House in 2024), The Great Leap at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Vietgone at San Diego Repertory Theatre (nominated for Outstanding Director by SDCC), and Calling: a dance with faith at Tony Award winning theater La MaMa ETC.
Her passion for experimentation in form has led her to generate work in immersive theatre, documentary theatre, and entertainment. Her 2019 production A&Q: a documentary theater performance shed light on people who are directly affected by the war on drugs in the Philippines, and her 2018 piece Nohing used dozens of stories and portraits of women and femme-identifying individuals around sexual assault in public spaces. She has been the creative director and choreographer for several projects at La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls Festival, including PDA, which explored the relationships of three real couples and how they love out loud, and Can We Now? Jesca most recently created an original immersive party experience for Virgin Voyages Cruise lines called We Fancy, which celebrates audience members for being exactly who they are using royal dances and global beats from all over the world.
Jesca is the recipient of several fellowships including being the inaugural recipient of The Julie Taymor World Theater Fellowship which supported her travels through Thailand, Japan, and The Philippines throughout 2017 as she researched and trained in traditional and contemporary forms of theater in each country. She was named a 2021 Woman To Watch on Broadway by the Broadway Women's Fund.
Jesca is Associate Professor and Head of Directing at San Diego State University. She holds a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch, and an MFA in Directing from UC San Diego.