Dr. Jonelle Walker
Professor, Theatre and Film
Dr. Jonelle Walker is a Helen Hayes Award-nominated playwright, theatre-maker,
and scholar based in Houston. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she pivoted to primarily
creating immersive experiences. Her plays tend to explore complex human emotions
with a scholar’s eye for detail and a wickedly dark sense of humor. The Washington
Post has called her work “vivid, artfully unnerving,” and “ingeniously crafted.”
A proud artist-scholar, Dr. Walker received her PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies
from the University of Maryland. While in school, she researched representations of
white femininity on stage, film, and digital media dating back to the late 19th century.
She was also the host and co-producer of RomCom Killjoys, a podcast applying feminist
theories to romantic comedy on film.
In addition to her freelance artistic work, she is an Associate Producer At-Large
and Company Member with Rorschach Theatre. Additionally, she co-founded Blind Pug
Arts Collective and served as a member of the Not in Our House DC Core Committee.