William Jenkins
Department Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance and Professor of Theatre
Additional Information
Teaching Areas: Directing, Musical Theatre, Acting
Tenured faculty
Date of Hire: September 2000
Biography
Bill Jenkins is proud to be the Chair of Ball State
University’s Department of Theatre and Dance where he serves as a Full
Professor of Musical Theatre, Directing, and Acting. Since arriving at Ball
State, he has directed several shows including The Laramie
Project (which was selected as the national alternate for the KC/ACTF
Competition), The Drowsy Chaperone and Shrek (with
guest faculty member Sutton Foster), Baby, Noises Off,
Damn Yankees, 42nd Street, A Flea in Her Ear, A Little Night Music,
Cabaret, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Doubt among
others. Mr. Jenkins also annually directs Ball State's "New York
Showcase" with NY Casting Director Rachel Hoffman and the “Chicago
Showcase” with Artistic Director of Drury Lane Oakbrook Bill Osetek.
Professor Jenkins is an active
professional director who is a proud member of the Society of Director’s and
Choreographers Union (SDC). His experiences include directing over 50 shows at
venues such as Drury Lane Oakbrook, Noble Fool Theatricals, Famous Door
Theatre Company, The Clarence Brown Theatre, Actor’s Theatre of
Indiana, The Illinois Shakespeare Festival. and The Nebraska
Repertory Theatre among others.
In addition to his directorial
credits, Professor Jenkins is the past president of the Mid-America Theatre
Conference (MATC), is a proud recipient of the prestigious MATC Fellowes Award
for Lifetime Achievement, was named Outstanding Administrator at Ball State in
2015, and, most recently, he was awarded the prestigious Benny Award as the
Outstanding Alumnus from Ball State University.
Professor Jenkins received his
MFA in directing from Illinois State University, and also holds a Master's and
Bachelor's degree from Ball State University in communication studies and
acting. His greatest role is that of husband to his wife Sarah and father to
his children Catherine Rose and Teddy Ryan.