Jessica Mensah
DIRECTING
Jessica Mensah is a Director from North West London. She directs Theatre, Film & documentaries. Her work is usually driven by stories that inspire change in society and explore socio-political issues.
In 2019, she graduated with a BA(Hons) in Theatre & Performance from Guildford School of Acting, University of Surrey. She trained as a Director on programmes such as: the 'Young Directors training Programme', with Stonecrabs Theatre, 'Introduction to Directing' at The Young Vic Theatre and The Regional Theatre Young Directors Three-Month Placement at tiata fahodzi.
Jessica has directed work for: Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Soho Theatre, RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ), Talawa and much more. Jessica has also worked as an Assistant Director and on outreach programmes for venues such as: Theatre Peckham & Nouveau Riche. She was also the previous Chair for Purple Moon Drama's Digital Youth Board and a Trustee for Metroland Culture.
From 2017- 2018, she embarked on a year-long placement with Kiln Theatre, working within the Creative Learning department. This landed her opportunities such as : interviewing Daniel Kaluuya for a Q&A event at Kiln Theatre, and joining the Young Producer' Programme at Battersea Arts Centre.
OTHER WORK
In addition to her work as a Director, Jessica is also passionate about nurturing talent and creating opportunities for emerging artists to thrive. She has worked closley with Brent to support arts and culture in the borough, as London’s Borough of Culture for 2020 and has worked with cultural Art & Executive leaders such as Lois Stonock and Indhu Rubasingham.
As an interviewer, Jessica has her own Youtube channel and Podcast called Living in our 20s, where she documents the stories of young adults living in their 20s. She has also interviewed artists and leaders in the performing arts world such as: Kwame Kwei -Armah, Jessica L. Hagan and Ryan Calais Cameron for research and interviewed Black key workers for Talawa’s Tales from the Frontline project. Jessica hosted a discussion on Black woman’s natural hair for #WOKEWeekly; an organisation which facilitates debates and discussions centred around and beyond Black communities. She was also recognised by #WOKEWeekly as the 13th candidate for their #BlackExcellence series.
In her writing, Jessica tends to reflect on the Black female experience, culture, faith and today’s society. Her work Akosua in her room was published in the Power of One Stories from Lockdown audio book, compiled by Lita Doolan, 2020.
Jessica is fond of reading scripts for the next potential play and is keen to meet new creatives to collaborate on projects. So do get in touch. :) x
