about jamal
Jamal Howard (he/him) is a Chicago-based director specializing in courageous, fantastical, and empathetic storytelling. Through theatre, he gets to the heart of our shared human experience and how we can grow closer together in a divided world. He is currently a freelance director, working in Chicago and across the country on various musicals, plays, world premieres, and theatre for young audiences. He was named as one of Theatre Communication Group’s 2024 Rising Leaders of Color. He is the Co-Artistic Director of New American Folk Theatre and an Associate company Member with TUTA Theatre.
In 2023, Jamal was named Goodman Theatre’s Michael Maggio Directing Fellow where he helped develop and launch the company’s new Theatre for the Very Young programming. There he co-directed The Lizard y El Sol in the summer of 2024 and the remount production in winter 2025. He also was the associate director and line-producer of Goodman’s first TVY production, In My Granny’s Garden. In 2023, his time and commitment at Goodman was expanded and he became the first Maggio Fellow to take part in the expanded program with a salaried full-time position. During his tenure at Goodman, Jamal assistant directed English, Highway Patrol, A Christmas Carol (2023), and Antonio’s Song: I Was Dreaming of a Son as well as directed for the one-night event “#ENOUGH, Plays to End Gun Violence.”
Jamal was the Associate Artistic Director for Emerald City Theatre from 2016-2020, a company dedicated to helping Chicago’s children creatively face the world through theatre. He directed and choregraphed the critically acclaimed productions of Corduroy, Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare, and The Wiz. He has a passion for Theatre for Young Audiences, a type of theatre he genuinely believes will help save the world. Through the power of courage and empathy, this often-underestimated genre of theatre introduces young people (and their grown-ups) to the power of theatre and connects audiences to our shared humanity.
In 2011, Jamal co-founded New American Folk Theatre, a Chicago theatre company dedicated to an honest and creative retelling of the American story while embracing the foundation of folk art. There, he directed Scraps, Dirty Girl, My Life is a Country Song, and co-directed a haunting actor/musician production of Dark of the Moon. He choreographs, production manages, and produces various productions and events for the company while serving as Co-Artistic Director.
Jamal is originally from San Jose, CA where he grew up performing with Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Public Relations/Advertising from Loyola University Chicago.
