Jessica Nakamura

Dr. Jessica Nakamura is an Associate Professor in the Theater Dance department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on Japanese and Transpacific theater/performance, with emphases on performance historiography, ethics of spectatorship, and global performance theories. She authored Transgenerational Remembrance (2020) and co-edited Realisms in East Asian Performance (2023).

• Ph.D., Theater and Performance Studies, Stanford University
• M.F.A., Asian Theater Directing, University of Hawaii at Manoa
• B.A., Theater, Swarthmore College

Current research explores domestic representations in Japanese theater (1945-present). Her work appears in journals like Modern Drama and Performance Research. She directs productions of East Asian works and occasionally serves as dramaturg.

Awards: None explicitly listed. Grants and advising: No specific grants or student advisees listed.

Labs/Teams: Engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations at UCSB's Theater & Dance program.