Jennifer Chang
Associate Professor
Jennifer Chang is a multihyphenate artist in the world of theatre—prolific as a director, actor, playwright, and educator. She is a recipient of the prestigious LADCC Award in Direction for her work on the Los Angeles premiere of Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone. Her directorial expertise shines through in a diverse array of projects, such as the world premiere of The Heart Sellers by Lloyd Suh at Milwaukee Rep, the NNPN rolling world premiere of American Fast by Kareem Fahmy at City Theatre and productions with Antaeus Theatre Company, LA Opera, The Huntington, The Round House Theatre, and Primary Stages.
As a director, Chang’s passion for new plays and musicals has led her to collaborate with esteemed institutions such as Williamstown Theatre Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Geffen Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, South Coast Rep, New Harmony Project, East West Players, Artists at Play, Sông Collective, Black and Latino Playwrights’ Conference, Theatre Mu, Chance Theater, Boston Court, Ashland New Plays Festival, and PlayOn! among many others. She is a founding member of the award-winning Chalk Repertory Theatre, where she served as Artistic Producing Director. Upcoming directing includes Lauren Yee’s King of the Yees at Signature Theatre DC. She was a 2021 Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) Fichandler Award finalist and the recipient of an APAFT Outstanding Director award in 2019.
As a playwright, her work, The Devil Is a Lie, directed by Kyle Haden, premiered at Quantum Theatre in Pittsburgh, garnering significant acclaim. She received the Beatrice Terry Residency at The Drama League in New York City for her play, Matter and is a member of the 2023-2024 Geffen Writers’ Room cohort.
An accomplished actor, Chang’s credits span across theatre, film, and TV, including La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Rep, National Asian American Theatre Company, East West Players, Mixed Blood Theatre, Mom, Two and a Half Men, Parenthood, NCIS: LA, and more. She is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographer’s Society (SDC), Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), and Actor’s Equity Association (AEA).
Chang received her BFA in drama and psychology from New York University and her MFA in acting from UCSD. She is an alum of Director’s Lab West and the Drama League New York fellowship. In addition to UCLA TFT, she has taught at UCSD and has been a visiting professor at Pomona College.
