Meet the Team
Troupe Director
Melissa Jacobs Estes comes to REALITY Theatre from a career as a teacher and director of high school theatre. She taught in both urban and suburban schools in Houston, TX, and most recently taught for 15 years at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire IL, where she taught all levels of Theatre, directed over 25 plays and musicals, and developed and supervised co-curricular theatre activities. She was the co-founder and director of STOP (Stevenson Theatre Outreach Program), a group specializing in performing plays with a focus on healthy lifestyles and drug prevention. She was the founder and original coordinator of Odyssey, a bi-annual all-school fine arts festival. While at Stevenson, Ms. Estes was a two time finalist for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has both a BS and MA in Theatre from Northwestern University, and has done additional graduate work at University of Houston and Northeastern Illinois University.
Melissa Jacobs Estes comes to REALITY Theatre from a career as a teacher and director of high school theatre. She taught in both urban and suburban schools in Houston, TX, and most recently taught for 15 years at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire IL, where she taught all levels of Theatre, directed over 25 plays and musicals, and developed and supervised co-curricular theatre activities. She was the co-founder and director of STOP (Stevenson Theatre Outreach Program), a group specializing in performing plays with a focus on healthy lifestyles and drug prevention. She was the founder and original coordinator of Odyssey, a bi-annual all-school fine arts festival. While at Stevenson, Ms. Estes was a two time finalist for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has both a BS and MA in Theatre from Northwestern University, and has done additional graduate work at University of Houston and Northeastern Illinois University.
Troupe Coordinator
Janet Jesse has a wide range of experience as a fine arts administrator. A graduate of Illinois State University, she has worked in development, event planning, and administration for Public Broadcasting, Lamb’s Farm, and Girl Scout Councils. Most recently, she was the long-time coordinator of Odyssey, an all-school fine arts festival held bi-annually at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. While at Stevenson, she was a sponsor for Student Council, German Exchange, Diversity Council, and World’s Fair. She also served as production manager for many of the drama and musical productions. Ms. Jesse is an accomplished musician and plays clarinet in the Northshore Concert Band.