Jessica Bilgrad

Jessica Bilgrad serves as an Adjunct Professor of Theatre at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, teaching Introduction to Stage Performance. Her professional background spans film, television, commercials, and musical theatre, including seven years in Atlanta performing improv, stand-up, and sketch comedy as part of The Village Theatre’s main cast and a weekly two-woman show.

Her academic credentials include:

• BA in Communications and Sociology from Georgia State University
• MA in Theatre with a concentration in Drama Therapy from Kansas State University

Professor Bilgrad’s research centers on the intersection of wellness and creativity through therapeutic theatre modalities. During her three-year immersion in Kansas, she developed expertise in directing, playwriting, sociodrama, and creative art therapy specifically for special populations. Her methodology treats drama therapy as foundational to pedagogy, emphasizing how theatrical expression unlocks individual strengths and healing pathways for students and clients alike.

No scientific awards were documented in the available materials.

While her extensive professional performance history is noted, the text provides no details regarding graduate student supervision or research grant acquisition.